Transformers: Lunar
by Vio Bio
Summary: Luna is a fourteen year old girl that was lucky enough not to be caught in a house fire that killed her parents. After a freak accident trying to hot-wire a random 18 wheeler she now has a robotic arm and has to face off enemies she never thought existed.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all Lunar readers,

For those that are not following along with Lunar updates on my deviantart, I am sad to say that Lunar is on a small Hiatus while I fix a few things along the chapters. I have been receiving a few reviews on the older chapters of this fanficiton. I appreciate all the constructive criticism. I will be doing my very best to rewrite some of the plot holes in the Lunar chapters in addition to adding a few more hints which would help with later chapters. I am sorry that I have waited this long to do such a task. I hope all you all understand. For now, this is the new substitute for Chapter 1 until I am ready to post the rewritten chapters. Thank you for your time. I hope to fix all of the major problems.

Vio-Bio

P.S. Once again I apologize for all TF Fans out there that I might have upset. I am trying not to excuse myself but to let you see that writing in third person is not my preferred writing style. However, I have already written 30+ chapters so I will learn to polish my writing style so it shall be more enjoyable for you all. In addition, this story is almost a year old since we first thought of it (Yes, _we_, I write this along with my boyfriend ) so I feel extremely bad for not rewriting these chapters sooner.


	2. Chapter 2

Ratchet soon walks by the table Luna is sitting on and gives her a minor glance, keeping himself unseen, "Humph, seems like the procedure was a success, as usual." He walked off, not showing much care for the human girl.  
>Luna jumped and looked around her, "Who's there?" She narrowed her eyes, starting to look around the dim room carefully.<br>"Sorry miss, I already repaired your arm; I don't have time to repair your optics." Ratchet groaned and exited the room leaving her alone.  
>Luna's eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of Ratchet before he disappeared. She bit her lip to hold in a scream, "Oh my god… it wasn't my imagination…Crap." She looked down at her right arm again. "So that means… damn." A few more seconds pass by as she continues to stare at her arm in wonder. She soon snickers randomly, "Wonder what this new arm can <em>really<em> do." She spoke as she held her arm out to examine the metal more.  
>A noise came from the table beside her as Optimus sat upright and stared at Luna, "That new arm is not a toy." He muttered, getting himself to stand up. Prime starts to pace around Luna's table as she looks up from her arm and gives Prime a more calmed look than the one she had when she spotted Ratchet. "You don't seem to be afraid, are you not surprised to see our species before you?"<br>"Um…w-well…I ugh…" She stuttered before she let out a nervous laugh, "I guess I'm a bit drugged up from surgery? Um…yeah I guess I'm not scared." She went to sit upright even more, staring up at Prime, "I mean, I did see you before I got this new gadget." Luna points at her arm in reminder to the giant robot. She later shrugged off her fear she still had in the back of her head, seeing how the robots weren't going to harm her for now.  
>"Yes, how is the new attachment feeling? Our medic did his best to make it work and feel like a human limb as much as he could." Prime nodded.<br>"It might take some getting used to. I mean, I couldn't even support myself just a few seconds ago." Luna lowered her eyes and glanced at her hand. "What is it made out of?"  
>Prime tapped a section of his chest, "The only suitable material to construct your arm was the Cybertronian alloy I am made out of." He showed her a piece of his armor that had a small cut within it. "With that piece, Ratchet built you a new arm, as well as saving your life."<br>Luna took a few seconds to let that sink in before she spoke, " So let me get this straight." She pointed at her arm. "You took a piece of yourself to give to some stranger human that tried to steal you?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "And now I have an alien robotic arm because of a bad choice in vehicles?"  
>"That is…one way to put it. If it was not for this new arm, you surely would not be among us any longer."<br>"Well…that's depressing." Luna muttered putting her arm down. She jumped off the table and stretched a bit. "So, I guess I should ask how to get used to my new arm then. Am I right?"  
>Prime gave his reply some thought before answering, "Your new arm will just take some getting used to; it's only a bit heavier than your old one, so adjustments should be swift. Just try to move around with it, get a bearing on its functionality."<br>Luna nodded, "Alright then big bot." She looked back down at her arm and tried to make it clench its fist; taking a little while to get it to work right. Luna sighed and leaned back on the table, "This is a lot harder than it looks." She continued to make her hand do simple things like wave and rotate her wrist.  
>Optimus observed her progress for a small time before opening his mouth, "While you practice, I do have a few questions for you. Like, why were you toying with my wiring while I was in truck mode?"<br>"I was trying to—" Luna frowned, remembering back of last night's house fire. "…it was just a random burst of excitement. I saw a car and I had to take it. Kind of like those moments where your heart is beating so fast and your head is rushing and you have to do something then and there to get away from whatever is causing this state of shock." She glanced up at Prime, hoping he would trust her word.  
>"Luna, I have existed for countless numbers of your human "years", I know when somebody is telling me miss-truths." He kneels down before her, still towering over her due to their massive size difference. "Now, what were you <em>really<em> doing?"  
>Luna raised her eyebrow at him again, a bit angered he doesn't trust her, "How did you know my name?" She shook her head and remembered the rest of what he said, "Besides, it's not really… well I guess it's kind of your business since I tried to hot-wire you. Um… I had to get away from something I do not care to talk about now." She spoke standing upright and looking him in the eye. "If you don't mind."<br>Optimus nodded and stood up, looking down at her, "You have your rights. I will not hold you here against your will, nor shall I force you to speak of things you do not wish to share." He turns to face the exit. "I shall have Ratchet ground bridge you home."  
>Luna blinked at his last words, "Home? Um…yeah about that." She rubbed the back of her neck with her robotic arm. "I um…don't have…one." Luna looked down at the ground, kicking at the surface.<br>"There is no one who would take you in? Do you have no sanctuary to reside at?"  
>"Well I wouldn't say that… okay well ugh… I'll just shorten this conversation by saying my house is now ash, a-and I was trying to find a house via a new car." Luna looked around nervously, keeping her eyes away from Prime.<br>Optimus' face gave a look of deep thought, contemplating about where to put the human, soon coming to a conclusion, "You shall reside under our care for the time being, I will discuss your future arrangements with our liaison to the outside world. He has… connections for humans such as you. I shall arrange your living quarters with Ratchet; perhaps it would be best to…introduce yourself to the rest of my team"  
>"Thanks, that's really nice." Luna paused and her head snapped up to look at Prime again, "Wait. There's <em>more<em> of you here?" Her eyes widened at the thought. "I-I don't know if I can handle more than two big bots in a day!" She shook her head in rejection to meeting other robots.  
>"We are accustomed to being around smaller beings such as yourself; you shall not be put to any harm while you are here." Prime starts to walk out of the room. "Besides, I'm certain you will be most welcomed here."<br>"Me? With a bunch of alien robots?" Luna held out her arm "yeah, I'll fit right in." She sighed and followed after Optimus. "So why are you big robots here then anyways?"  
>"We are antonymous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known, as Autobots. Our counterparts, the Decepticons, arrived on your planet to steal its resources, and we pursued them using the last of our fuel, in the hopes of saving your world, which until recently, I had thought we had accomplished." Optimus responded without much thought.<br>"hmm… That's a lot to take in." Luna gave the speech some thought. "So you are organisms that are able to shape shift into mechanical things and you're trying to fight for the resources or to save our resources." She shrugged. "In a nutshell."  
>"You are correct; we stay hidden amongst your kind, fighting a battle that many of your races do not know of."<br>"But what if we _do_ know of it? Like I know of it now. Am I the only one to know, aside from your liaison? How many others know—oh…sorry. I'm asking too many questions." Luna rubbed her left arm in embarrassment.  
>Optimus hid a small smile, "We are unsure of how many know of us, some allies, others, our enemies, but one thing is for certain, one thing I have feared, that our existence will be revealed across the planet, bringing fear and mayhem to spread." His smile quickly turned into a more serious face after speaking.<br>"Hmm… Humans are scared of things that are unexplained and…much bigger than themselves. So I can see where that is a problem. Makes sense why you would want to be cautious." Luna looks around the headquarters. "So that makes more sense why you want to hid in Jasper…"  
>"Yes, the Decepticons initial landing on your planet caused much fear and panic in your society, back in Roswell."<br>"That explains the rumors in Roswell then…" Luna muttered under her breath.  
>"Our trusted government liaison has given us this missile silo as a base to work out of, it is, undetectable, and shall not be noticed by many." Optimus continued.<br>Luna nodded and put her arms behind her back, "and the base is good for hiding. I didn't even know it was here so that's a bonus." Luna put a thumbs up with her right hand.  
>Optimus glanced back and noticed the gesture, "Seems like you are gaining more functionality with your new appendage." He smiled.<br>"huh?" Luna looked at her hand. "oh yeah, guess it's not that hard after all." She shrugged and looked back up at him.  
>"I shall leave you to explore, but please, do not touch anything that looks important, we have learned this lesson from a previous human friend of ours." Prime warned.<br>"Well…alright then." She nodded again. "I'll do just um…the opposite of that?" she scratched her head in slight confusion.  
>Optimus nodded unassumingly and walked away, leaving her alone. Luna watched him leave and started to rock on the back of her heels. She looked around in wonder and saw a staircase. She run up the stairs and looked down at the ground. She sighed and turned around, seeing a large monitor behind her.<br>"Interesting…" she whispered and tried to go closer. She noticed another set of monitors and ran back down the stairs to look at them closer; though, keeping a good distance like Optimus warned.  
>Luna was mystified by the writing on the screens, how they were different from the languages she has known. She soon heard someone in the sick bay nearby and went to go investigate. Ratchet was inside and he was rummaging through piles of miscellaneous bits and pieces.<br>"Where the confounded synchro laser….is ugh… never can keep anything where it is with grubby little humans scurrying about." Ratchet shook his head and continued searching.  
>"Hello? Someone else here now?" Luna poked her head into the sick bay and caught sight of Ratchet.<br>"Oh, you, I forgot you were still around. Shouldn't Optimus have sent you away by now?" Ratchet waved on hand in the air as to shoo her out.  
>"Well, um, Optimus said that I should stay here actually. Since I have no other house." Luna shrugged and stroked her new arm; finding it strangely sore at the moment.<br>Ratchet lifted his head up slightly, his face full of fear, "But but but… I need to have a serious talk with Optimus and his need to invite more vermin into our base!" He swatted aside a pile of spare parts, few almost hitting against Luna.  
>She automatically blocked them with her right arm, starting to get a bit angered by Ratchet's words and actions, "Hey! I'm not <em><strong>VERMIN<strong>_!" She glared, pointing to her right arm, "I _was_ going to thank you for saving me, but thanks to that first impression I don't think so!"  
>"I didn't save you because I wanted to," Ratchet's words hit Luna hard, "it was an order from Optimus, and even I wouldn't disobey our leader." He rolled his eyes in disgust, "You <em>humans <em>have only caused us grief and tragedy, we save your planet countless times, and you still continue to destroy it yourselves."  
>Luna groaned and rolled her eyes too in response, "Well you're one to talk. We don't need your help by fighting on this planet, and even if it was an order, I would have thanked you anyways. Since I'm that, somewhat, nice." Luna waved her hand and started to walk out.<br>"Pffft, your human technology? Against an armada of Decepticon soldiers? I think not, you'd tear your toys apart in nanoseconds." He glares at her and slightly smirks, "and if you don't like my attitude then I'll be sure to show you the door out of here. How about a nice trip to the Antarctic, I head the Sahara Desert is nice this time of year."  
>Luna's eye twitched as she spun on her heel, facing Ratchet, "You really are an <em>ass<em> aren't you?" She put her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrow, "besides, the Antarctic is not near the Sahara. If you want to insult or make someone go away, do it right."  
>"No human insults me and gets away that easy." Ratchet raised his hand, releasing a magnetic pulse over to Luna's arm, making it suddenly dart over to a magnetized wall. "Or maybe… I'll just leave you there for a few hours." Ratchet grabbed a few tools and walked out with a happy smirk on his face.<br>Luna let out a small yelp when her arm connected to the wall, she tries pulling her arm off, "H-hey! Get back here and help me! ...Please?" Luna stared at her arm on the wall. She groaned and rubbed her forehead with her free arm, "yeah, a _warm_ and _fuzzy_ welcome I'm getting" She muttered under her breath as she starts to pull her arm off again.


	3. Chapter 3

While Luna was busy trying to get her arm off the magnetized wall, a booming pair of footsteps came towards sick bay. A huge, dark green figure appeared through the doorway looking around.  
>"Hey doc bot, where'd you go? It…happened again…" A huge wrecking ball dragged behind the massive robotic organism, showing it was clearly off its arm.<br>Luna's jaw dropped when she glanced over at where the booming voice was coming from, "…DAMN!" She shook her head and went back to getting her arm off the wall, closing her eyes trying to concentrate on demagnetizing the metal surfaces, "Ugh! Come! Off!" An explosion went off and Luna feel back. She rubbed her head and looked at the now gaping hole in the wall, "Oh crap!" She covers her mouth and stares at the hole, wondering how much trouble she'd get into, "I-I didn't do it! Or…maybe I did—but I didn't know I could!" She stuttered, hoping someone heard her.  
>"I'm so getting blamed for that." The green organism hobbled over and looked down at Luna, barely noticing her amongst the rubble due to her small size, "Optimus didn't tell me we were getting new recruits. Well, whoever you are, better get out of here, Ratchet doesn't like humans in his work area." It spoke with a bit of shock in its voice.<br>"He stuck me on that wall. I'm pretty sure he wanted me there" Luna stood up and brushed off her legs, "Besides, I didn't know my arm was equipped with guns of any sort." Luna glanced at her arm to see if there were any changes.  
>"Huh… that's pretty weird. Prime doesn't share our kind of tech with humans." It scratched its chin in thought, "but if boss bot thought it was a good idea, I'm sure it is. So, just who are you?"<br>"I'm Luna Carvaline. I tried to steal a random truck that turned out to be Prime or, your "boss bot" and then got my arm blown off. Woke up, and saw this." Luna held out her arm for the green bot to see. "And you are?"  
>"I'm Bulkhead" the bot introduced.<br>"Bulkhead? Weird name, and that's coming from a girl named after a moon."  
>Bulkhead shrugged and continued, "And I-….well it's a longer story, and I don't have much time to share if you haven't noticed." Bulkhead held up his damaged arm, the cord holding up the wrecking ball snaps as the melee weapon slowly rolls away and crashes into something. "Yeah… that's gonna hurt in the morning."<br>Luna watched the wrecking ball roll, "Yeeaaaaah…. I would help you, but right now I'm sadly too weak. I'm sorry man."  
>"Ah don't worry about it, fortunately for us, we can always get repaired." Bulkhead chuckled and Luna let out a small smile, feeling more welcomed. "You on the other hand, you got a whole remodel done, how's the features on that beauty?"<br>"I—don't know…" Luna muttered, looking down at her arm again. "It's still a bit heavy and hard to move around. I can't get it to point or grip anything, but I can make things blow up" Luna points back at the wall "But I guess it's strong considering there's not a scratch on this yet. Hmm? What's that symbol on there?" Luna pointed at a strange face-like symbol on her arm.  
>Bulkhead narrowed his optics and bent down a bit to see the small symbol, "That's the insignia of the Autobots, the faction Optimus, Ratchet and I belong to."<br>"That's cool" Luna whispered, smirking at the symbol.  
>"Huh….you don't get one of those until you join the ranks though. " Bulkhead scratched at his head, "We definitely need to talk with Prime about this." He muttered mostly to himself.<br>Luna shook her head, confused, "Um… Why do so many need to talk about me to, Prime? Isn't he your leader? So shouldn't you trust his judgment?" She raised her eyebrow for emphasis.  
>Bulkhead didn't quite understood what Luna was talking about, "Oh, let's see… there's me, Ratchet, Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cheetor, Wheeljack, Jetfire and uh… that's it unless you could those stinkin' Deceptions."<br>Luna waved her arms and shook her head, "no no I—oh forget it. Um… let's not get too far here. I meant—wait…what's with the animal names?" Luna looked up at Bulkhead, hoping he understood what she was talking about this time.  
>"Eh, they pick the names, sometimes based on their forms; Cheetor for example turns into a cheetah, big surprise right?"<br>"Eh, not really. So….this Bumblebee… he's a small guy then?" Luna crossed her arms, trying to absorb all this information along with the speech she got from Prime earlier.  
>"Yeah, he's a little guy… for us anyway." Bulkhead looked away from Luna, "Just, watch where you stand, Luna."<br>Luna was even more puzzled at the robot's words, "Watch where I stand? Why is that, Bulk? Would I step on Bumblebee then?" Luna started to make a mental note before Bulkhead shook his head.  
>"No, Bumblebee might step on <em>you<em>, He's a run first, look second kind of bot." Bulkhead scratched his head and smiled nervously.  
>"But but but—I thought you said he was a little guy!" Luna put her hands up to show how small she imagined, having a small space the size of an actual bumblebee in between her palms. "A-and that would make more sense because of the animal name!"<br>"No no no, _Cheetor_ is a small guy, Bumblebee is much bigger."  
>"But you just agreed that Bumblebee was a small guy!" Luna groaned, she leaned back on the wall and rubs her forehead with her right arm. <em>'This is too much for one day'<em> she thought.  
>"For us, yeah he is a bit small, but for you humans, he's huge, regardless, just, I don't know, be careful." Bulkhead frowned, "You sure the doc didn't mess with your head while he was operating on you?"<br>She shook her head no, "Wow, this is going to take some getting used to…" Luna sighed and looked up at Bulkhead, "So how do you fit all of you big robots in here anyways? Where do you sleep?" her eyes widened slightly at the thought, "_Do_ you sleep?"  
>Bulkhead let out a ground shaking laugh, "Yes, we sleep, sorta, we power down, but that's not the point, and this place is pretty roomy actually."<br>"That's a surprise." Luna looked around the place and glanced through the hole in the wall. "So where are the other bots, hmm? I'd sure like to get the meetings over with."  
>"Well, Cheetor usually hangs out in Africa; we just call him for scouting patrol when needed. Jetfire is out in the Antarctic, and all the rest are here in the base actually.<br>"Wow, you guys are everywhere aren't you?" Luna smirked, "This is kind of awesome now that I can relax and take this in…"  
>Bulkhead chuckled, "Yeah, it's pretty cool here at Team Prime, isn't it?"<br>Luna nodded, "So far, yeah… and no." she frowned and looked down, "I did have to get my arm blown off to find out about you all… and I haven't had the _BEST_ of welcomes here…"  
>"Doc bot giving ya the cold shoulder? Well I'll make sure you get one heck of a welcoming party! Fresh oil, plenty of iron to eat, and oh! Nachos, humans like nachos, right?" Bulkhead looked down at Luna for confirmation.<br>Luna smiled up at him and laughed, "yeah, this hu—erm… _part_ human likes nachos. Thanks, Bulk." Luna pushed herself off the wall and goes to nudge Bulkhead with her arm, "You sure made me feel more welcome. Hope your…arm gets better too?"  
>Bulkhead smiled back and nudged her lightly with his leg, hitting her a bit too hard, making her fly back onto the wall. Her impact making a few cracks appear. Luna groaned and pushed away from that wall and rubbed the back of her neck and her shoulder.<br>Bulkhead was a bit shocked at what happened and held out his hands as to show it was an accident, "Sorry he-he, I thought you were one of us bots for a second there. So, you alright? Nothing broken or malfunctioning, right?"  
>"Just my dignity…" Luna spoke, shaking her head. She looked up at Bulkhead's face and sighed, "I'm only kidding of course." She goes to dust herself off and stands upright; she wobbles for a bit but soon recovers, "But for me to be able to survive crashing into a wall." Luna points to him with her right arm, showing off the Cybertronian metal. "Either you went easy on me, or I'm one of you now." She smirked.<br>Bulkhead smirked in return, "Let's call it a little of both alright, tough girl?" He put down his good arm for her to climb onto, "How about I introduce you to the rest of Team Prime?"  
>Luna climbed onto his hand and holds onto his thumb, "That would be just awesome—WHOA!" She hugs on tighter to Bulkhead's thumb. "I forgot my fear of heights." She whispered to herself.<br>"This isn't that high though—oh, human scale. Sorry." He scratched the back of his head, "So let's see if we can't gather up the crew." Bulkhead walked towards the main hall and took a deep breath, "**HEY! GUYS! WE GOT A NEWBIE HERE WHO WANTS TO INTRODUCE HERSELF!**"  
>Luna groaned and hid her face behind her hand, "Gee, thanks, Bulk…" She kept a tight hold of his thumb as she waited for the bots to arrive.<br>Soon, a bot a few meters shorter than Bulkhead came in, shaking his head and hand in the air, "Yo, Bulkhead what's with the vocal alarm there? You trying to blow my audio sensors?"  
>Just then a blue motorcycle rode into the headquarters and transformed into a female robot, "Learn not to yell so hard, I heard you from outside."<br>"Hey, big place, need a big voice to get all you guys together." Bulkhead chuckled.  
>The female bot put her hands on her hips and looked at the small human in Bulkhead's hand, "So who's the newbie then?"<br>Luna was amazed at how the bots were all different and how there were even female robotic organisms. She smiled wide and admired the female like an older sister figure. She blinked and held onto the thumb again when Bulkhead held out his hand to show the others.  
>"Meet Luna, she's…well she's a hu—she's one of us now." Bulkhead had a huge smile on his face.<br>"Riiight," Wheeljack muttered, "Bulkhead, we know you're a little lonely since Miko left for college, but you can't expect us to believe that Luna can hold her own on a mission, or worse, against the cons."  
>"Wheeljack is right. Even I had a tough time getting over Jack leaving too, but that doesn't mean you can find another kid and think they can fight with us."<br>Luna frowned and curled up on the side of Bulkhead's thumb, "Oh yeah, love this welcoming…" she muttered sitting back and crossing her arms over her knees, "Well… if you can, kindly let me down. I'll go find Prime and he'll help me find a house to live in after all." Luna looked down at the side of Bulkhead's hand and a wave of vertigo go through her. "O-On second thought, I like it up here." She hugged Bulkhead's thumb again and tries to look away from the ground.  
>Bulkhead and the other bots were too busy arguing to notice Luna's movements and words, "This isn't a replacement for Miko! No one could replace her; this is about introducing you to the new member of the team, so says Optimus." He glared at the group, "Jacky, you know me better than this, just give her a good welcoming."<br>Wheeljack sighed in defeat, "Bulk, I've charged head first into a war zone with ya, if you said this kid has the makings of a soldier, and then I believe ya." He smiled lightly and held out a hand towards Luna, "Name's Wheeljack, aka Jacky, and no, you may not call me Samurai Jack…whoever that is."  
>"Who's Samurai Jack?" Luna wrinkled her nose, remembering her cartoons as a kid and still couldn't find a match, she went to shake his hand with her more, smaller robotic hand, "Nice to meet you too I guess…wheelie." She smirked quickly and glanced at the female bot. "And who are you?"<br>"I'm Arcee and that's all you need to know." Arcee stared at her, "What did Optimus say about her exactly?"  
>"Um nothing yet, but c'mon, she had an Autobot insignia! What more proof do you need?" Bulkhead was flustered with the questions he was getting.<br>"Just because someone carries our insignia does not mean they're a part of our team unless we hear from Prime himself." Arcee crossed her arms, not convinced at all that Luna, a small human, could measure up to helping defeat any enemies their size.  
>"Bulkhead, is there and explanation for your recent "broadcast"?" Optimus walked into the room and looked around at the trio.<br>"Yeah, about that… Can you tell us for sure, what the situation is with our…guest?" Bulkhead held out his hand to Prime.  
>"Yes, I would like to hear that too. Uh… Please?" Luna took a second and finally got the courage to stand up on Bulkhead's palm.<br>Optimus Prime looked down at Luna and took a second to get all his words together, "I have been consulting with Special Agent Fowler for the last hour, in regards to the possibility of allowing a human specialist to be a part of our mission, at first, he was outraged at the thought of such an idea, but, with time and negotiations, we have come to an agreement."  
>A silence filled the room as everyone waited for what Prime would say next. Luna became intimidated and put her hand on Bulkhead's thumb to keep her standing upright. The rest of the bots stood as if they were statues.<br>"Luna, there is strength within your heart and a determination I have only seen in a Prime, a being of your stature would go far in this world, and I would like to extend the invitation, to join our ranks, train amongst us, and fight for your world, if you accept, we are here, and we are waiting."


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoa whoa, wait." Luna held out her arms and tried to take in the last of Prime's words. "I get to join a team of super awesome fighting alien robots with advanced technology?" Luna was still in slight shock, but pushed that aside and stood upright on her own, putting her hands on her hips and smirking wide. "When do I start, sir?"  
>Optimus Prime nodded and looked over at the rest of his team, "I must ask the rest of my team first, I do not make a decision without their opinions as well, so Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Arcee," Prime spun around to see Bumblebee and Ratchet enter behind him, "Bumblebee, Ratchet, what do you think? Should we allow her to join?"<br>"No, absolutely not! If she gets injured, I cannot merely _replace_ her arm! She has no protective exoskeleton, and what about space combat? No, absolutely not." Ratchet hollered, his words echoing in the room.  
>Bulkhead looked up at Optimus and smiled, "Well, you know my answer Optimus, I'm in favor of it, and the girl would make a fine Wrecker and a fine member of our team."<br>Bumblebee walked up to Bulkhead and looked at Luna standing on his palm. He examined Luna and soon nodded, making chirping and beeping sounds towards Prime, pointing and showing he agrees that Luna should join.  
>Arcee examined Luna all over again, making sure she is making a good choice, "She does look a bit too confident…" She smiled to herself and wiped it away before Luna or anyone else would see, "Well, she looks ready. However, if she does join, I don't want another kid to look after."<br>Bulkhead's face brightened and started waving around his broken arm, "I'll look after her, I promise!" He glanced at his arm, seeing how the other bots were staring, "Oh…um… I can explain that…" He looked away a bit embarrassed.  
>Luna let out a giggle and nodded, "oh yeah, I forgot about that."<br>Wheeljack patted Bulkhead's shoulder, "Well, I'm gonna support my bro, but kid, if you mess up and get my pal hurt, you answer to me." Wheeljack pulled out his swords and points them at Luna.  
>Luna nervously laughed and smiled and poked the swords with her robotic arm, "G-got that. Eh…"<br>"I don't think you need to show off to get your point across, Jacky." Arcee sighed, embarrassed to be associated with them at the moment.  
>Ratchet looked like he was about to explode, filled with anger he began shouting again, "Have you all blown a gasket? These, humans, cannot help us! Arcee, it was us helping humans that got Cliffjumper scrapped!"<br>"RATCHET ENOUGH!" Bulkhead shouted back.  
>Arcee glared at Ratchet, a bit taken back at the sudden conversation of her previous boyfriend, "You all know my vote. I'll be out for a drive now." She transformed and drove out of the base.<br>Luna watched Arcee leave, "Who's Cliffjumper? If that's a safe subject to bring up now…"  
>Bumblebee shook his head, warning her not to bring that up again. Luna noticed and kept quiet.<br>"It's true, and if she can't face the truth then she can be on her own!" Ratchet huffed and looked away, "All the humans do is use us and leave, and for what? Nothing, that's what." He starts to walk off and talks over his shoulder, "Bulkhead, come to sick bay later and I'll repair your arm, but leave the human outside."  
>"Ratchet…" Bulkhead shook his head.<br>Optimus took the opportunity to try and change the subject. He looked down at Luna and spoke, "The vote is nearly unanimous then, Luna, you have officially become a member of our team." He turns to exit the area, "I shall inform Agent Fowler, he will surely want to meet you, but for the time being, take a tour of the base, your training will commence tomorrow." Once his last words came out of his mouth, Prime left the remaining Autobots.  
>Luna wanted to interject but kept it to herself. She sighed and rubbed her arm, "Alright then…" She started to mutter, "I feel so out-casted…I'd actually rather be in another place. Maybe in Africa or the Arctics."<br>"We can go there later, for now, let's give ya a tour of the base. Any of you bots want to tag also—" Bulkhead sees that everyone has left except for Bumblebee. "Oh…"  
>Luna smiles softly at Bulkhead, "yeah… um." She glanced over at Bumblebee and leans down to talk to him, "So who are you?"<br>"Um…Luna, that's our scout, Bumblebee. He…can't talk with vocals, only us bots can understand him, well, us, and Raf, Bumblebee's old partner." Bulkhead looked down, avoiding Luna's eyes.  
>"Oh I see…so I guess I'll have to blow off my ears to be able to understand then?" Luna noticed the two's facial expressions and groaned, "I'm only kidding." She focused on Bumblebee, "You don't seem mad at me though, so, thanks." Bumblebee smiled and nodded in response.<br>Bulkhead started to chuckle again, "Looks like you're making friends already, Luna. You'll fit in perfectly around here." He smiled and hands Luna over to Bumblebee. Bee taking her in his hands gently. "I aught' a get this hand fixed, Bee, how about you give Luna the tour while I go get fixed up."  
>Bumblebee nodded and started beeping and chirping away at Luna. Luna smiled politely and gets a bit nervous now, thinking that this might be a bad idea to let someone whom cannot speak with vocals give a tour to someone who can only understand a bot with vocals.<br>"S-slow down there buddy." Luna gave a nervous smile, "I can only take so many sounds at once. Go get that arm fixed, Bulk."  
>"Will do, make sure Bumblebee doesn't get in trouble, eh Luna?" Bulkhead chuckled and left.<br>Bumblebee and Luna exchanged glances and then started laughing. Bee started taking her down the nearest hall and showed her around, beeping and chirping away. Luna tried guessing every room but she wasn't very successful. She gave herself a mental note to explore these halls again with another bot. She didn't want to be rude in front of Bumblebee since he was trying so hard to be nice. Bumblebee was just so happy he wasn't the rookie anymore and that someone new was around to hang out with.  
>After about two hours of the tour Bumblebee finally finished and headed back to the main room Luna tries to gather what she's learned about the base, "So the last place was the storage room right? And that's the…portal? Wait no…ground bridge. Wow, this base is <em>REALLY <em>big."  
>Bumblebee nods and then sees Bulkhead leave sick bay with his arm all patched up, in his beeping voice, "Hey Bulkhead! I just finished giving the tour! Here's Luna!"<br>Bulkhead chuckled and extends his hands for Luna, Bee gently passing her to him, "Have fun with little Luna?"  
>"W-whoa! C-can I just go back onto the ground please?" Luna held onto her head, "I'm getting a bit dizzy up here."<br>Bulkhead smiled and looked down at Luna seeing her whine he gently put her down. "Eh, sure thing Luna. Now then, now that I'm back in one piece." Bulkhead showed off his new hand, "How about we get you in for a bit of training, I'm sure Wheeljack would love to test his danger room out on a human."  
>Once Luna got a few breathers and her head straightened out she looked up at the two bots, "Sure, I think I might be due for some training anyways. I <em>am<em> a rookie."  
>"We were all rookies once, but we learn from our masters and pass that experience on to others." Bulkhead smirked, being all knowledgeable. "But yeah, you could do with some training."<br>Bumblebee's face lit up, "Can I help out too, big guy? I want to help out the new rookie now!"  
>Bulkhead looked over at Bee, "Well, it would be a good experience for you, eh, why not? You can lend a servo."<br>Luna smiled, "Well alright then! Where this training room?" She scratched her head, "This place is so big I forgot."  
>Bulkhead chuckled, "Oh it's no where you've seen yet." He points to the ground below the two, "Wheeljack's lab is down a bit further, he's a bit private about his lab."<br>"Alright then, let's go!" Luna said putting her arm in the air. She paused and realized something she found important, "But….wait….before we go, I have to ask. Who's my mentor then? You said you all have them." She crossed her arms waiting for an answer. "Who's mine?"  
>Bumblebee gave it some thought before snapping his fingers and beeping, "Think I can be her mentor? I do know more than she does in this case!"<br>"As with all of you, I shall teach Luna our ways myself." Optimus walked in between the two bots. He looked down at Bumblebee, "I'm sorry, I trust your capabilities, but you are still young, and have much to learn before you are ready to teach."  
>Bumblebee nodded, "Alright, Optimus…"<br>Luna still looked up at the massive truck bot in awe, "You'll teach me? Well, okay. At least I know now right?" She gave out a nervous laugh then realized the massive size difference she had compared to all the other bots. "Wow… I'm small" She frowned and felt inferior, rethinking about why she wanted to even join a group of bots that would all be able to squish her if they took one misstep.  
>Optimus saw her saddened face and knew he had to give her more hope in herself, "Your size may be small, but your spirit is large, your worth here is equaled to any ally we have. Now, your training will commence tomorrow." He looked over at Bumblebee, "However...if you would like to spar with our young scout, I see no reason you can't."<br>Luna felt like she had more pride in herself for some odd reason whenever Prime talked directly to her, like she was actually important and not just some small human, he was as supportive as her father was.  
>"Alright then. Um…so, wait, Prime." Luna held up her robotic arm in a gesture to stop him, "When I was stuck on the wall in sick bay, my arm somehow shot something and made a huge hole… why is that? I thought I just got a piece of your chest or something… I didn't know I got weaponry built-in."<br>Optimus rose his hand and shifted it into an Ion Blaster, "Our race has the ability to shape our bodies into anything we see fit, vehicles, living beings, all things are possible, all you need do is concentrate, and your arm will react to the designs you imagine."  
>Luna was amazed at the things she was learning, "So….I'm actually just like you in a way? Whoa, this is…dang.." She rubbed the back of her neck, "I feel like I'm going to be given a quiz on this when I wake up tomorrow. This is so awesome yet so confusing…" She glanced at her robot arm that was rubbing her neck, she held it out, "so I can change this into a—" the arm quickly shifts and transforms into a smaller version of Prime's Ion Blaster. Luna's jaw dropped, "Oh my god!"<br>"Though we cybertronians tend to stick with a few variations at most," Optimus' hand shifts from gun to sword, then ax, and then to his robotic hand again. "You may wish you choose three forms to use, the more you use a certain form, the easier it shall be to transform into that form." He walks out and smiles. "Try to choose carefully."  
>"Whoa...alright then." Luna nods, getting a bit excited at how she has new abilities. She looks at her hand. "Let's see...how about..." Her hand shifts to where it has blades on the side. "nah...too much."<br>Her hand goes through several changes until she finds the ones she likes, "Okay lets go through this again." Her hand changes into an ion blaster a bit simpler than the one Prime had. "That's one..." She makes her arm transform into a fox-like paw with its claws out. "That's two and finally." Her hand shifts back to normal. "That's three." Luna smiles and feels proud of herself. "So... Hey, where did everyone go?" Luna frowned, looking around the room.  
>The room is empty, slowly Bumblebee looks out from the other side of the doorway, seeing if it's clear.<br>Bulkhead peeks through the adjacent doorway, "Sorry, but...when protoforms first learn to transform...it can get a bit messy..." He points to the hole Luna made in the wall before. "You just need to learn...control." Bulkhead looks a bit uneasy, hoping he didn't offend her.  
>"Oh I see." Luna frowns but then shrugs off whatever hurt feeling she had. "Well, I think I did pretty darn well for the first time didn't I?" She smirks wide, getting confident of herself, "I know control...when my eyes are open." Luna rubs the back of her head, nervously laughing.<br>"Yeah...about that Luna…" Bulkhead and Bumblebee point to the ceiling, showing three blaster holes with sparking cables hanging down. "Maybe you shouldn't blink anymore."  
>Luna looks up and sees the holes, her face drops and she feels a bit embarrassed, "Oops...well I still am a rookie so." She sticks out her tongue, "I fit the quota." She blinks and looks down at her arm, slightly smiling, "Eh...funny...never in my life did I dream to have any kind of surgery."<br>"You mean repairs?" Bulkhead interjected. "I don't know much about human immunity, but doc bot has told us before that humans are a lot more...mortal then us Autobots, we lose an arm, we weld it back on, you lose an arm and...Well, that happens." He held up his hands in his defense, scared he offended her, "Not...Not that it's a bad thing, it looks good on you!"  
>Luna raised her eyebrow posed with her arm, "Think so? It doesn't help me get onto the Mali Runway but I mean I can make it work." She snickers at their confused looks, "I'm kidding... but this could be fun then."<br>"Eh...we'll see, it might not be so fun when you're facing a scrapheap full of cons." Bulkhead looks away and suddenly shifts expressions. "So c'mon, let's find Wheeljack so he can suit you up with some training courses." Bulkhead looks over to Bee. "And...keep an optic and a sensor on Arcee, she might get into trouble out there, especially when she's this upset."  
>Bumblebee nods and transforms, leaving the place in a hurry to find Arcee; hoping she didn't go too far.<br>"I suppose not... wait...suited up?" Luna gave him a puzzled look, "Um okay then..." She shrugged, nothing was starting to surprise her anymore, "Where's Wheeljack then...and Prime. Since he's my mentor."  
>"Prime will start your "official" training tomorrow...I think, for now we're just gonna sneak off to get ya warmed up, besides, what's the worst that could happen?"<br>Luna points out to emphasize her knowledge, "We could be up against these cons you talk about...but since I'm with two other big robots like you I think I might be more protected."  
>"Yeah, we're good at what we do, eh, but cons are serious business, they aren't as merciful as us, and they rarely hold back in a fight." Bulkhead has grim memories fill his head. "Any who, off to the gym now, or you'll never get to see any action!"<br>"Well I'm waiting for you to show me!" Luna puts her hands on her hips. "It's not like I'm getting any...um...newer?" She shakes her head. "I'll have to think up some slang with you later."  
>Bulkhead smiled and let out a soft laugh, "Autobot slang should be the last of your priorities, besides, our slang is more like what you humans call "cursing"." He leads Luna to a trap door, knocking on it three times in code.<p>


	5. Chapter 5

A few moments pass after knocking before the trap door flies open in a sudden motion, nearly hitting Bulkhead as it flew open. From the door emerged Wheeljack, covered in black singe marks and a small flame coating his shoulder.  
>"Uh, not that I don't appreciate your visits Bulk, but I was kinda busy with modifications to our Ground Bridge" Wheeljack said, brushing the flame off his shoulder.<br>Luna, forgetting her amusement to the Autobot cursing spoke up, "Trap doors? Secret labs? Why was none of this on the tour?"  
>Wheeljack rolled his eyes and smirked in amusement, "So, what's the deal here?"<br>Bulkhead steps over the trap door, scooping Luna up in his hand, "Not much Jackie, just wondering if you had any gizmos that Luna here could test her metal out on", Bulkhead Said with a smile across his face.  
>Wheeljack rests his head against his palm and looks up at Bulkhead, "Bulk, my "gizmos" are devices to take out cons and leave em' for scrap, I'm not going to let Luna get herself killed like that," spoken as he looked at Luna, unsure of the young recruits abilities.<br>"But um", Bulkhead said, thinking, "Optimus said if you let Luna practice, he'll let you have access to plutonium again!" Bulkhead's face already showing signs of regret for such a lie.  
>Wheeljack's ears glowed bright blue and his eyes widen, like a kid on Christmas Morning, "Plutonium?" Wheeljack said, turning away from Luna and Bulkhead as he spoke to himself, "With that I can finally finish my prototype for the Time distortion travel unit!"<br>In a rapid turn Wheeljack faced Bulkhead and Luna, a smirk on his face as he shot down the ladder and into his secret lab. Sounds of him digging through heaps of scrap metal and failed inventions could be heard, before he emerged shortly after, holding in his hand a rusted up piece of scrap.  
>"It may look like...well scrap, but this beauty is just what Luna needs", Wheeljack said as he place the metallic object down before Luna. The object slowly shifts its panels; legs sprout out, as do arms and a head. The training bot shifts its weight repeatedly, barely balanced, and not a very intimidating opponent.<br>Luna looks at the dummy and scowls, "I swear, the thing is just mocking me", she looks up at Bulkhead with a sadistic grin on her face, "Put me down Bulkhead, I'm gonna teach this bot what I can do!"  
>Bulkhead gently places her down before the training bot, "Ha-ha! Smash it just like I showed ya Luna!" Bulkhead says as he steps back, waiting for the sparring to begin.<br>Luna begins darting around the training bot, acting as if she were a professional boxer, "You want a piece of me? You want a piece? Or maybe you want TWO pieces? You getting greedy punk? Well, all you'll be getting is one of these!" Luna yells as her fist rushes towards the robot, but in her haste, she forgot to use her robotic arm. Luna's human fist collides with the robot's face, not making a dent on the robot.  
>"<strong>OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!<strong>" Luna yelps as she holds onto her hand, "that...wasn't too smart..."  
>She clenches her robotic hand and smirks, "Next time you won't be so lucky bot!"<br>Luna charges the drone, repeatedly punching it with her robotic fist. The robot's eyes light up coming online as it dodges one of Luna's attacks, "Finally fighting back, it's about time" Luna says, as a smirk spreads across her face.  
>The two begin an intricate series of assaults and dodges, exchanging attacks back and forth.<br>"This is so cool!" Luna says, pummeling the robot in the chest. The robot strikes back, hitting Luna's shoulder, denting it, "And so scary!"  
>The upper hand is given to Luna when the robot leaves itself open for an assault, seeing the moment; she smashes her fist into the robot's head, knocking it backwards onto the floor.<br>"Oh yeah! Winner, and still all time champion! **LUNA**!" Luna says triumphantly, shaking her fists in the air and imitating the crowd's cheering. In her boasting Luna does not see the sparring bot slowly standing back up, twisting its head back into position.  
>"Training, course 1, completed", the robot speaks before powering down, falling apart into a scrap pile.<br>"Ha-ha! You're a natural!"Bulkhead exclaims while playfully pretending to box with Luna, "I can't wait to see the Con's faces when they see you tearing them up!"  
>"They aren't going to know which way their skid plates go on! That's for sure!" Luna retorts, excited to have passes her first trial.<br>Bulkhead stops the playful fight and looks around the room, "Hey Wheeljack, you still around? C'mon, you know Wreckers love to celebrate a victory!" Bulkhead chuckles before giving up the search, "Well, Jackie would be proud of ya, but for now, the new recruit should rest up, there's a lot more skid stompin' to do tomorrow, besides, you need to check out your new room don't ya?"  
>Luna's eyes widen, frozen with excitement, "My own <strong>WHAT<strong>?" a smile spreads across her face.  
>"Where were you expecting to sleep? Wheeljack's room?" Bulkhead said, lowering his hand to pick Luna up, "We cleared a space out for ya, and even decorated it a bit".<br>Bulkhead carried Luna through a few hallways, eventually reaching the door to her new room, the door being nearly a hundred times larger than she was,  
>"Well, at least I know I'll have room for all my things" Luna said, rolling her eyes as the door slid open, revealing a large gray metal room, with a small bed, a few tires placed to act like chairs, and a table with an odd looking clock on it.<br>"Well...needs a little redecorating, maybe some color, but aside from that, it's perfect!" Luna said, hugging Bulkhead's thumb as he placed her down so she could see her new home.  
>"Hope you like it, we cleaned out our old ammunition room to put this together for ya" Bulkhead said, smiling as he pointed out what the Autobots contributed.<br>"It's great, very spacey", Luna said, looking around, "Maybe later you can help me get more stuff to put around here?" Luna examines the small clock on her end table, "Huh, that's cute" She said as she poked the small white cat shaped clock.  
>Bulkhead knelt down to try and get a better look, "Huh who is that from? I don't remember it being here", Bulkhead said, suspicious of the cat clock.<br>Luna picked the clock up, and looked at the tag attached to its ear, "Huh, it says it's from Wheeljack, that was nice of him to do." Luna said, smiling at the sentiment of the clock Wheeljack left.  
>"<strong>WHEELJACK?<strong>" Bulkhead said, his tone in panic as he scooped up Luna hastily and ran out the door.  
>"<strong>WHAT THE HELL BULKHEAD?<strong>" Luna asked as she punched his hand, "it's just a kitty clock! Seriously, what's got you so hyped up?"  
>Bulkhead looked over his shoulder into Luna's room and turned towards her, "Um, nothing, it's just that.."Bulkhead replied, as he scratched the back of his head, "Wheeljack is a good bot, a brother to me, but well...his inventions don't seem too." Before Bulkhead could finish his sentence a massive explosion is heard in Luna's room, as smoke filtered out of the doorway. "They don't seem to hold together that well…" Bulkhead finished.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Luna froze when the explosion went off. It took her a few seconds to start breathing again. She looked at the now thinning smoke coming from her room.  
>"Ah...I see." She nods, a bit scared now of the clock. "So...there goes my room, huh?" She looked down and pouted "And it was a cute clock." She crossed her arms, pouting a bit more thinking about the explosive cat.<br>Bulkhead looked into the room and laughed, "Jacky is always full of surprises. Luna, take a look." He spoke pointing for her to look.  
>Once Luna got the courage to look inside she took a few steps over to the door and peeked inside. Her jaw drops and she smiles wide. The room was filled with furniture sized for a human, the walls painted red with blue flames on it, and the kitten clock remained undamaged.<br>Luna laughs and smiles wider at the wall design, "**THAT IS**-!" She shook her head and walked more confidently into her room. She looks at every detail before speaking, "I like it here...hn...that's really nice of him..." Luna sat down on her bed and frowned.  
>"Yeah, Jacky knows a lot about tech, despite it blowing up most of the time." Bulkhead chuckled; he looked over at Luna and tried to smile. "But to rig up a nano bot detonator to make all of this, the bot's really outdone himself this time."<br>"Yeah... it's nice." Luna looks up and gives a weak smile; she sighed and looked to the adjacent wall. "I hope I don't become a burden. I mean, it was pretty sudden for Prime to just let me join," Luna shrugged and looked down. "But I'm sure he has good intentions... maybe he sees the future!" Luna's eyes widened and she put her hands up in the air and wiggled her fingers.  
>"Hah, I wouldn't put it past him, Prime has a lot of insight on things that might happen in the future." Bulkhead shook his head at Luna's joke and smiled. "And trust me, you're no burden, I think the others miss having a human around, especially Ratchet, even if he doesn't show it that well."<br>"Don't tell him but he's kind of cool." Luna winked up at Bulkhead and let out a laugh. As she stopped laughing Luna smiled and went to lie back on her bed, enjoying the comfort. "This bed is still huge! I've never had such luxury!"  
>"It's really nothing to be honest; it's easy for us to make such small things for humans." Bulkhead nodded and waved at Luna. "Now rest up, it's a big day for you tomorrow."<br>Luna sat upright in her bed; she crossed her legs. "Thanks Bulk. See you in the morning!" She gave him a small wave back with her right arm."  
>Luna watched Bulkhead leave and close her door. She looks around her room and spots the cute little kitten clock. She scrambles off her bed and walks over to the clock, giving it a gentle pet as if it were real.<br>"You're still cute." She smiled. "Mom would have loved you..." Luna frowned and shook her head, "You have to move on, stupid." Luna looked down and rubbed her robotic arm, remembering her last time with her parents.

* * *

><p>Ratchet was off in his lab, messing with his equipment. He started muttering something as he worked, hoping no one was around to hear him.<br>"I will not let another one end up like Raf did...never again." He sighed, hunching over the table. Grief filled his eyes as he rubbed his head, getting mental flashbacks of the twelve year old boy that showed him off time and time again.

* * *

><p>Far across the globe, an ominous figure looms in the sky, the Decepticon Warship known as "<strong>NEMESIS<strong>". On board Starscream walks past the loyal Decepticon troopers, and approaches a figure cloaked in the shadows of their monitors.  
>"Ah yes, another fine cycle indeed, under the glorious leadership on the "<strong>MIGHTY<strong>" Megatron." Starscream smirked wide, "Wouldn't you agree," he placed a claw on the shoulder of the figure next to him. "Raf?"  
>"Of course Emperor Starscream, it's an honor to finally be aligned with the winning side." Raf smirked wide.<p>

* * *

><p>Luna walks out of her room and wonders around. After a while she finds the sick bay again. She notices a familiar bot inside.<br>She leaned on the doorway, "Oh, so do you like to sleep in here more or do you just not have a room?" Luna asked, being a bit teasing, hoping she could get on his good side, though, highly doubting it as soon as the words left her mouth.  
>Ratchet turns around and glares at her, flipping a switch to shut the automated doors. He groaned and went back to his monitors. "Don't get attached Ratchet...you'll only regret it..." He muttered to himself.<br>Luna huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, alright then. Nice talking to you too." She shrugs it off and walks around some more, "So... this was..." She shook her head, rubbing her forehead. "I might need someone else to show me around instead of Bumblebee. He's cool and all but I need to know where things are." Luna notices the screens and frowns, focused. "I wonder what that means." She went to go and touch the screen when she heard someone racing inside the base and jumped back.  
>Arcee rolls inside and transforms in front of Luna. She looked down at her and had an emotionless face on. "Oh...you're still here. I guess we let you stay then."<br>"Yes...how was your drive?"  
>"Kind of boring. I usually had someone along whenever I needed to go on a ride, but I guess I need to learn how to go alone." Arcee shrugged, looking away.<br>"That's one way of putting it." Luna nodded; she looked down and opened her mouth, "So-"  
>"Having trouble copping?" Arcee looked down at Luna, crossing her arms.<br>"Yeah a little." Luna sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "I don't know where half of the stuff is here... Bumble gave me a tour." She let out a nervous laugh.  
>"Yeah, he told me. He's very excited to have someone new around." Arcee smiled slightly and started to walk away, "Well see you around I suppose."<br>"W-wait!" Luna reaches her arm out for Arcee. "I-I um...still don't know half of the place. Mind showing me around?" Luna frowned, a bit embarrassed at the fact.  
>Arcee stops and looks over her shoulder, she examined Luna. "After your training, sure." She nodded, leaving the room.<br>Luna sighs and goes up to the second level platform. She sits on the couch and stays there for a few hours; not being able to sleep. She groaned looked around the room from the couch. She hears a door open and hides behind the couch to watch whoever comes in.  
>Ratchet walks in through the door and examines the room, "Can't believe how much this has changed." He whispered to himself.<br>Luna let out a sigh and sat upright on the couch. "You scared me for a bit there, Ratchet." She leans over the couch and raises her eyebrow, "What's changed?"  
>"Nothing, now get out of my optics!" Ratchet jumped, shaking his head and waving her away. He muttered something under his breath and went back into sick bay.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Luna scowls at the medical officer, angered by his recent words towards her, "NO!" Luna cries, as she stands up, shifting the plates on her arm into the form of a blaster, aiming at Ratchet, the Autobot medical officer. "I am, in no mood, to deal with some grouchy asshole like you, who just tries to brush me off!" Luna's eyes focused and fierce, her focus on her target never deterring, "Now, back away from that door, so we can talk!" Luna yawns from exhaustion, her mind awake, but her body half asleep, "I can't sleep and I need to talk to somebody..."

Ratchet, standing frozen in place lets a slight smile spread across his face. Spinning around rapidly, Ratchet's arms convert into a pair of lethal ion shooters, aiming at Luna, easily getting a point range shot, "I see Bulkhead's teachings have been less than satisfactory!" Ratchet said, his smile now becoming a scowl, "He obviously has yet to give you the common sense, of NOT engaging a superior foe in combat, and those lessons obviously haven't taught you manners either" aiming his cannon closer, Ratchet examines Luna's expression, "However, I can give you something to aid in your human "sleep cycle", if that is what you have come here for, at least that would keep you out of my optics for a few hours." mumbling the last part.  
>As Luna groaned and lowered her arm, she, converting it back into a hand, slowly shook her head in confusion, "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed is all" Luna said, rubbing her robotic arm, looking up at Ratchet, "So…as long as you're here, can you tell me about my arm? I mean, how am I able to control this part?" Luna raises her robotic arm, its sleek metal shining in the light.<br>As Luna spoke, Ratchet shook his head and chuckled to himself, "A human, one of such, limited intelligence, couldn't even possibly comprehend the mechanical ingenuity that arm possesses, even if you wanted too." Ratchet said, laughing as his weapons withdrew into his arms.  
>"Well, that's why I'm here; I want to learn the mechanics of this arm, its capabilities, everything, so why not come to the bot that made it in the first place? Besides…I'm sick of never getting the answers I want, all I get are more fucking questions" Luna said, pointing a finger at the doctor.<br>To Luna's inevitable disappointment, Ratchet's patience was growing thin, the years of war had left the doctor with little desire to put up with such meaningless questions, "Luna, cease your endless yapping!" Ratchet said, turning his back on her once more to leave the room, "Just be grateful you even received that gift you wield" Luna looked up at him, eyes full of uncertainty. "If I had my way, we never would have wasted the energon to save you, but Optimus insisted, saying how you would one day "Light our Darkest Hour". Like a human could do anything of any remark ability" Ratchet said, leaving Luna alone in the room.  
>"Thank you…for the arm" Luna said, hoping the wind would carry her words to Ratchet.<br>The medical officer paused briefly in the shadows of the hallway, looking downward in a saddened manner, "You're welcome…" Ratchet whispered to himself, as he continues forward.

Heading back to her room, the thoughts of her encounter with the wounded heart of Ratchet, Luna rests on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, mind racing with questions, but not a single answer to be found, slowly lulling herself to sleep a few hours later.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Morning…<strong>

A light tapping noise emanates from Luna's door, "Huh?.." Luna drearily said, slowly waking up, "I didn't request any stinking wake up call".  
>The noise grew louder; almost ear breaking, until the door collapses backwards, crashing into Luna's room, and crushing a chair in the process. Bulkhead stands in the now open doorway, slowly peeking into Luna's room.<br>"Luna, you awake? C'mon, you don't want to be late for your first training day with the boss bot right?" Bulkhead said, stepping on the fallen door.  
>Luna glared at the giant Autobot, raising an eyebrow as she slinked out of bed, "Why did no one tell me there was a time set for this thing? And more importantly, BULK! YOU DESTROYED MY DOOR!" Luna shouted, face turning red in anger, brushing her hair as she kept an eye on the Autobot warrior.<br>"Oh, um..I can fix that", Bulkhead said, lifting the door up, bits of broken wood and glass underneath it, "Now, before we go, Optimus wanted me to make sure you were suited up and ready to train, so why aren't you suited up?" Bulkhead scratches his forehead in confusion, as if Luna was missing something.  
>"What are you talking about Bulk?" Luna asked, sitting on her bed, "and what did Optimus mean by "suited up"? I'm already in my day clothes."<br>Rubbing his optics, Bulkhead looked to Luna in frustration, "Figures, the doc bot was suppose to explain this to you last night." Bulkhead said as he sat down in front of Luna's bed, "See, Optimus had Ratchet install an armor coating system into your arm, it gives you a sort of thin battle armor to help defend you from toxins in the air, and laser fire. To activate it, Prime said you just need to hit that symbol in the center of your arm and…"  
>Without Hesitation the eager Luna began hitting the Autobot like symbol on her robotic arm, repeatedly pressing it without end.<br>"Luna! Don't break it!" Bulkhead said, rubbing his optics once more, wondering if this day could get any worse.  
>"But Bulkhead, c'mon, armor plating? That's totally a suit of robotic armor! Can you blame me for being excited to try it out?" Luna said, still pushing the button over and over, "And it's not working, you big liar."<br>"That's because Ratchet hasn't given you the activation code yet, if you didn't have the code, heck, anybody could turn your armor on or off at will!" Bulkhead said as he stood back up, "You're going to have to talk with Ratchet though; he needs to assign you an activation code, and get your systems ready, and…a lot of technical details."  
>Luna raised an eyebrow before looking back at her arm, "So…why didn't the doc tell me this himself? We did have a lot of chances to talk last night" Luna said, feeling a bit put off by the way the doctor was treating her, "Never mind, and thanks for passing the note along Bulkhead, it's appreciated. Now, just let me change and get some food before I go to this Training date." Luna smiled after her words, pausing momentarily to think, "Um…do you guys even have human food?"<br>An awkward pause filled the room, before Bulkhead finally spoke, "Um, well we do have Nachos, they're pretty good." Bulkhead said, taking a large triangular sheet of metal out from his chest compartment, taking a bite out of the metal, "Tastes better with oil though." Bulkhead extends his hand, offering her a bit of what the Autobots consider food. "I also found these outside humans eat animals, so, here, hope you like it." Bulkhead said, setting a small cat down on Luna's bed.  
>The small cat looked fairly dusty and hungry; it meowed lightly and rubbed against Luna's arm before lying down on the sheets."Well…we don't normally eat cats Bulk, but I guess it's the thought that counts." Luna said, gently patting the cat on the head, "Huh, I think I'll name you, Fur ball the Second." Stroking the cat's ear, "You're going to need a bath though..."<br>A familiar face looks through the now open doorway, walking through with a smile on his face, "So Bulk, still having trouble with doors?" Wheeljack said, jabbing Bulkhead in the shoulder, "And Luna, what're you doing throwing a party without me? That's pretty rude."  
>Luna smiled, placing the cat down onto the bed as she went to greet Wheeljack, "Yeah, some wild party, a stray cat and a door hating Wrecker, what else could a girl want?", Luna said as she rolled her eyes.<br>"Anyway, thought I'd run out and get you some grub, seeing as Fowler has yet to send us the grocery list we sent him for human food." Wheeljack smiled as he spoke, then, lowered his hand, handing Luna a tiny red box between his fingers.  
>"What's this?" Lune asked.<br>"It's a Happy Meal; it's supposed to be food right? Besides, it was the closest place to base, and sorry, but Autobots don't do grocery stores." Chuckling, Wheeljack shifts into a sleek race car form, flashing his lights in front of Luna, "However, The drive-thru is no problem at all"  
>Luna sets the red box of fried and chicken down, smiling as she looked up at Wheeljack, "Thanks, though I'm not sure if I'll have time to eat right now, I need to talk to Ratchet right away", Luna said, pumping her fist into the air, "I. NEED. KICKASS. ARMOR!" Luna rushes from the room after her final word, stopping in her tracks, and looking back into her room, "Thanks again you guys! I'll be right back!"<br>Bulkhead remains seated in Luna's room along with Wheeljack, unsure of what to do next, now that Luna has run off, "So..." Bulkhead spoke, turning towards the cat resting on Luna's bed, "Do you like monster truck rallies?" The cat looked up with a confused expression, before plopping its head back down onto Luna's Pillow.  
>"Bulkhead…it's a cat…They probably only speak Chinese" Wheeljack said, shaking his head at the odd commentary of his fellow Wrecker.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Luna walks into sick bay and looks around for Ratchet, "Ratchet? Are you in here?"

Ratchet spins around in his large lab chair and glares at the guest, "Yes, what do you want this time?" He groans; rolling his eyes. He thought he had enough to do than bother talking to the girl as it is; he turned back around in his chair and continued to work.

"Bulkhead told me that I had to come and talk to you about my armor feature. I don't know how it works and neither does he. So...could you please either show me or tell me? I'll be right out of here when you do." Luna spoke, walking over towards the bot; keeping a good distance between them.

Ratchet looks through a microscope, paying no real attention to Luna, "Just slide your hand across the symbol and speak the activation code."

"Yeah, that's the thing…I don't know the activation code though. I'd really like to get out of your way." Luna started to get a bit nervous and started to rub the back of her neck. "I don't like to keep people waiting either..." She added, hoping they could both get this awkward meeting over with so she can go to her real training with Prime.

"The activation code is a phrase you get to decide, for example, Optimus uses the code "Maximum Burn" to activate his turbo in vehicle mode." Ratchet groaned and turned to look at Luna's arm. "Unit 5592-6, begin vocal imprinting process." He glanced at her and waved his hand, "There, just say the code you want, and you'll be set. Now leave me alone."

Luna nodded and mouthed the words "thank you" and left in a hurry. She sat on the stairs in the main room and stared at her arm. 'Well it can't be amortize me! That's just stupid' Luna thought, shaking her head at the stupidity.

"Hey Luna, there ya are, talk to the doc bot yet?" A familiar voice spoke as they entered the room.

"Oh, hey Bulk. Yeah I talked to him, but I'm not sure what to use for my code for this thing yet..." Luna covered the symbol, hoping it wouldn't go off to just any word.

Bulkhead strokes his chin in thought, "Huh, well you'll find a code soon enough, besides, they really aren't as important as you'd think; it's just so only you can activate your armor and weapons… I know! How about! **OPTIMIZE!**" Bulkhead turned his arm into a wrecking ball in example, "Cause y'know, you have Prime's symbol on your arm." He pointed out; shifting his arm back to normal.

"Optimize...yeah that makes sense I guess..." Luna was a bit unsure about the code, but she just nodded along and thought it was worth a try. She held out her arm and stood up. "Optimize!" As soon as the words flowed out of her mouth, her arm began to transform.

The metal from her arm began to grow and start wrapping around her body, making an armor to fit her perfectly. After a few seconds of transforming, Luna looked at her arms and the rest of her body.

"**HOLEY ****SHIZ****!**" Luna looked up at Bulkhead and smiled wide behind her helmet, "**I LOOK AWESOME!**" She exclaimed.

Bulkhead chuckled at her excitement. "Nice suit, the Overload armor looks good on you. Wonder when Prime will give ya the others."

"Others?" Luna asked, the helmet falling back, showing her face, "whoa! It can do that too! Man, I'm really liking this!" Luna laughed nervously and scratched her cheek.

"Well then, how about we get your training started then? The base's shields are up, and the crew is downstairs ready to get you started."

Luna frowned, "The crew?" She shook her head and put a smile back on. "Let's go the-ack! I'm going to need to get used to this!" Luna snapped, the helmet going over her face unexpectedly.

Bulkhead chuckles and leads her to the training hall, a cybernetic looking arena in the deeper levels of the base. Cryptic holograms fill the room as Optimus stands in the center, along with Arcee, Bumblebee, and a bot she has yet to officially meet.

"So hey, the gang's all here!" Bulkhead exclaimed.

"Apparently so…" Luna muttered, looking around. She waved at the few she knew and then glanced over at the new bot. "Who's that?" She pointed, wondering if it was another test dummy or an actual member.

Optimus stepped aside and waved his hand towards the bot, "This is Cheetor, our scout and infiltrator. He shall be helping you in your combat tests today."

"Hey-it's-good-to-meet-ya-I-never-did-catch-your-name-though-but-a-pretty-thing-like-you-must-have-a-pretty-name-to-go-with-it." Cheetor nervously spewed out his words, too fast for Luna to catch all at once.

"Um…name? Name- _**OH**_! Yeah I'm Luna Carvaline." She introduced herself, the armor retracting back into her arm. She shook her head and massaged her neck. "Ugh. It was stuffy in there." Once she got a clear view of Cheetor her jaw dropped and she ran up to him. "Oh...wow! You're so _**SHINY**_!" She gushed, "how do you keep it so clean?"

Bumblebee started to beep and chirp beside Bulkhead, nudging the green bot's side. "See, told you she'd notice his armor first." Bulkhead waved him off and continued watching the pair.

"I start my day off with 3 coats of h-high quality waxes and shines then I wash my servos and maintain optimum shininess in all regions of my outer chassis. Now how is it that a human like yourself is wearing Autobot armor?" Cheetor continued to speak too fast for Luna as she admired the shiny coating.

Luna soon she notices how she's acting in front of Prime and snaps out of her behavior, "Oh! Crap, I'm sorry for coming at you like that….that...wasn't very...um...yeah the wax thing..." Luna nodded and blushed in embarrassment; she backed away from Cheetor and looked at the ground. "Need to remember that for my own arm then..."

"Moving on," Optimus cleared his throat. "We have organized a series of tests and combat simulations to prepare you for your upcoming missions; you will need to heighten all your skills to insure your survival."

"Right. Heighten skills...I have not yet required…" Luna commented, _'This should be interesting'_ she thought to herself.

"Now then, your first test." Prime and the other Autobots step back, the room illuminated in full light now, showing a tall room with outreached pillars and ledges. "Reach the beacon at the top, this, is your first task." He points upwards to a glowing beacon over 50 feet above Luna's head._Last message received on 6/25 at 10:57 PM_

Luna looked up at the beacon and her eye twitched. "A beacon...um... alright let's see then...so I...turn it off? This doesn't give me much of an explanation...I'll just have to go with it, right?"

"The Beacon is essentially a flag; you merely need to touch it to pass this trial."

"So I need to find a way to get all the way to the top...what else? There has to be something in my way other than height to get to it. There has to be!" Luna questioned, putting her hands on her hips in frustration.

"There is an element of surprise in all conflicts, your objective is clear, but the methods of success, are foggy. Let the first trial begin!"

'_So how the hell am I going to get up there? I don't think I can just fly up there. No way in heck I can jump it...'_ Luna muttered Optimize and her armor quickly goes around her. She examined the wall and makes her hands shift to be claws and strikes the wall; arms sticking. "Good..." She tries to pull them out of the wall, not easily taking them out at first but soon is able to pull it out from the wall. She takes a mental note of her strength and tries to climb again.

Bulkhead on the sidelines along the other Autobots nudges and whispers to Wheeljack beside him, "So Jacky, how long do you think it'll take her to get there?"

Wheeljack presses a button, activating two turret pods, "Who said I thought she'd make it at all?" He smirked._Last message received on 6/27 at 10:31 PM_

Luna hears the turrets as she climbs and curses under her breath, "I knew there was a catch." She turns around and looks up for ways around. She spotted a path and ran up it and climbed faster. Luna continues to look all around her while she climbs; thinking hard. 'One's there and another one just above it...lasers...awesome...' She rolls eyes and climbs a bit higher; keeps one hand on the wall; aims for a turret and fires.

Wheeljack scowled, "Amateur at best." He presses some more controls on his remote the second turret fires at the beam of energy Luna fire, the two beams collide and cancel one another out. Both turrets zoom in and aim towards Luna.

""Um Optimus...wasn't Wheeljack suppose to take it easy on Luna?"

"This is nothing challenging for a trainee Bulkhead."

"An _**AUTOBOT**_ trainee maybe!" Bulkhead protested, waving his arms over at Luna.

"Do you not believe she is worthy of the title "Autobot"?" Optimus spoke, keeping his cool.

Bulkhead opened his mouth and soon closed it, keeping silent, knowing not to go against Prime.


	9. Chapter 9

Luna glares at the turrets, looks up, and then back to them, she lets go of the wall, pushing herself up, clawing at the walls with her hand, and struggling to keep herself mobile.

"Luna, you can do this, they're just a bunch of machines, and they can't compete with me!" Luna yells as she takes aim at the gun turrets on the walls, "I can show them who's boss!" With that exclamation Luna aims her gun, blasting away a trio of turret pods, knocking them offline with one shot each.

Smirking proudly while watching her endeavor, Bulkhead nudges Wheeljack against the shoulder, "Ha! Look at her go! Looks like your toys can't contend with her, Jacky" Bulkhead laughs as he watches Luna scale up the walls, "She's a tough one isn't she?"

"Oh, she's tough alright" Wheeljack responded, "Practically academy worthy" a smile grew across Wheeljack's face as he popped open a hidden panel on the controls he held in his servos.

Bulkhead turns to face his friend, chuckling awkwardly to himself, "Jacky, what exactly are you doing?"

Wheeljack began pressing a sequence of buttons across the black box in his hands, "Remember those training courses I designed back on Iacon? During the Wars?"

"You didn't…" Bulkhead hesitantly asked as a contained built into the ceiling lowered itself down, directly above Luna.

The container opened in a burst of mechanic noises and steam. Small bombs began to rocket down towards Luna, as the walls surrounding the young girl opened, emerging three more sentry guns.

"He did…" Bulkhead said, his hand covering his optics in distress, Wheeljack kept his proud smile on as the bombs dropped faster.

Eyes widening in a mixture of shock and fear, Luna continued to desperately climb up the wall, "**OH COME ON**!" She yelled, jumping from one side to another, carefully dodging the bombs as best she could, just barely dodging them all, "Well, at least that's over with" She climbs up a bit higher, catching her breath for a moment. The panel to her right pops open, a metallic missile pod emerging, searching around, eventually taking aim at her. "Mother Fu-"

"Oh forget this!" Luna exclaims, pointing a finger at Wheeljack from high above, "You like your toys so damn much?" her eyes focus on the Missile pod, as it starts to load its barrels with explosives, "**IT'S TIME TO SHARE**!"

Luna leaped from the wall, grasps hold of the top of the missile turret. Using the enhanced strength of her arm, she grabs the launcher by the sides, forcefully aiming it towards the other guns firing upon them.

'_Holy crap…'_ Luna thought to herself as the missile pod shot out a cluster of rockets, detonating against the parallel wall, a group of five sentry guns blown to scrap in the process.

Bulkhead raises his fist in triumph, "**HA**!" he exclaimed, punching Wheeljack in the shoulder, "I knew it! She's a natural! A Wrecker in the making! Am I right, or am I right?"

Wheeljack chuckled softly, almost eerily; "We'll see Bulk, we'll see" Setting his control box down at his feet, "Time to watch the fireworks, Bulk."

Sitting atop a now motionless missile pod, Luna strikes her clawed hand into the wall once more, slowly picking up her pace, "This…this is a bit high up now.." Luna said to herself, looking down and feeling her head getting dizzy, "No, I'm so close" looking up at the beacon, Luna grasps hold of the wall tighter than before, pulling herself up higher and higher, "Just..A little…further" getting within two arms length of the beacon.

Watching Wheeljack, Bulkhead let out a sigh, "Really? No tricks? No Gizmos? C'mon, not even an Alligatron dropping from the ceiling? You loved that one! You're not going to do _**ANYTHING**_ to make this harder on her?"

Wheeljack shifted his weight and laughed at the spazzing robot, "Really Bulk? You _**WANT**_ me to make this harder on her? I thought I was too hard on her before?" Wheeljack asked as he bumped Bulkhead with his shoulder.

"I don't want you to kill her or anything Jacky, but, this is too easy, you never let anyone get off easy! Slag, even back on Cybertron, not a signal bot could pass that, "Seven Levels of the Pit" you designed!" Bulkhead exclaimed, wanting to see his old friend and war buddy show he's still got it.

"Oh how you know me Bulk." Wheeljack smiled, picking up the control panel and slamming his palm down on a large red button labeled, "Doom Bringer", just as Luna reaches her hand out, to make contact with the beacon.

"Come on…reach dammit, I'm not going to be bested by this!" Luna yelled, her hand just inches from the beacon.

A net of wires dropped down from the ceiling, encircling the beacon in a protective netting, "Oh, a net, very clever Wheeljack" Luna sarcastically announced, still reaching towards the beacon.

In a flash the net of fires crackled and shined, a pulsing electrical field blocking all contact with the beacon Luna sought to obtain, "Oh…I see…**CRAP**!" Luna said as she recoiled back out of surprise, "Great, how could this get any wor-..No, not saying it cause then I know.." A quartet of mechanical arms emerge from the panels of the ceiling, a spinning buzz saw blade attached to each. "..Cause then that would happen" Luna said as her heart dropped.

Her mind racing, Luna did what she could to dodge and assaults of the blades, jumping from wall to wall, desperately holding onto them with her clawed arm, "C'mon Luna, think, think" Luna tells herself, as she barely dodges the spinning blades, taking a bit of her hair off, "Kinda hard to think when you're about to be killed!"

Bulkhead and Wheeljack remain at ground level, looking up at her in anticipation for the results. Silent as they watch, like fans watching an overtime match. Luna's eye focus, her mind racing with fear and adrenaline, letting the fear go, a voice goes through her head.

"Whoa, that's different" Luna said, digging her claws into the wall, getting weaker with each attack she dodges.

Her arm glows a faint shade of white, almost invisible to the human eye, and in one swing motion, she leaps of the wall, dodging the nearest buzz saw, and slashes through its mechanical arm. Grabbing hold of the severed arm of the buzz saw drone, Luna whips is backwards, swinging it at full force, using it to tear through the electrical wiring in one powerful attack. Luna drops the mechanical saw down, reaching forward and touching the beacon, finally ending this trial/.

"There, tell me I'm not an Autobot now." She whispered to herself, smiling as she looked down below, "They better come up here and get me."


	10. Chapter 10

Bumblebee beeped and clicked at Luna's success, turning to Wheeljack and played a teasing melody, "Bee, that was merely the first round, we got a long way to go." Wheeljack said as he set his controller down, "Now, and she gets a real test".

Optimus Prime entered the room, the presence of the majestic red and blue leader of the Autobots was quickly known.

"Optimus! I passed my training!" Luna yelled, hoping she would make her presence known, "Destroyed the enemy, protected myself, _**AND**_ I even got the beacon!"

Optimus smiles and knelt down before Luna, "It is not the destruction of our enemies that brings us victory, but the life we save with our actions" Optimus said, looking directly to Luna, "Now then, let us press on with our young recruits second training exercise."

Luna groaned as she shuffled behind the others, wondering what cruel and unusual form of training Wheeljack would dish out next, but, to her shock, Wheeljack left the room, gadget in hand.

"Hey Optimus, what exactly will you be having me do next? Mind telling me before, y'know, my arm rusts over here?" Luna bluntly asked, waving her robotic arm in a teasing manner.

Before she could speak again, Optimus rose up before her and looked at her with the same about of dignity and seriousness he showed his teammates, "Luna…" Optimus called out, "The threat of Decepticon attack is a brutal thing; all of us here acknowledge that the enemy could attack anywhere, anyplace, do you understand?"

"Understood, Sir" Luna said, a rare expression of seriousness across her faces, "So, about my combat training? How will it go then?"

Stepping aside, Optimus revealed a shorter, thinner blue Autobot standing in the doorway, "Hey kiddo." Arcee said while waving, shifting her wait to the right.

"Arcee shall be your sparring partner for this training exercise, Luna. You must be prepared to confront a superior foe at a moment's notice." Optimus said, stepping back to allow Arcee into the sparring area.

Luna's mind was racing a mile a minute, she had plenty of practice on sparring drones, and even the obstacle course Wheeljack provided took a lot out of her, how was she to compete against a Cybertronian like Arcee?

"Well…what do you say Arcee? Shall we tango?" Luna quipped, trying to mask her fear.

"Let's just hope I don't step on your feet, kid." Arcee teasingly retorted, both circling one another in the edges of the sparring circle.

"Remember Arcee, no lethal blows, only sparring authorized moves." Optimus said, hoping for a friendly skirmish.

"10-4 Big bot." Arcee said as her smirk appeared across her face, "Well Luna, looks like you go lucky."

At that moment Luna's arm folded out, a thin layer of armor covering her body, "We'll just see who the lucky one here is." Luna said, hoping back a small laugh, "C'mon Arcee, let's have fun with this, I am a little rusty at fighting after all."

"Nice joke kid, Cliff would've loved that one." Arcee said, as she stops on one side of the ring, Luna across from her, "Optimus, say the word."

"Begin!" Optimus said raising his sword like a flag, signaling the beginning.

Initially the two remained still, a standoff, who would make the first move that would either cost them, or win them the match. And like a bolt of lightning Arcee took off, darting towards Luna, using only the palms of her hands to distort Luna's balance. Shaking off the assault, Luna just as swiftly clawed at Arcee's legs with her robotic arm.

Nearly an hour passed, the two combatants not giving so much as an inch as they continued to dodge one another's blows, Luna, still uninjured, has started to feel the symptoms of exhaustion, while Arcee stands tall, ready for more.

"Luna, if you don't act now, you're gonna lose." Arcee said, as she shifts her weight to the right, looking down at Luna.

Huffing, barely standing and tired, Luna stands tall and points to Arcee, "Yeah, I am tired, but I'm not done showing you just what I can do!" Luna said, a new vital fighting spirit overwhelming her.

Watching as Luna tried to take a step, only to fall down, Arcee knelt down and helped her up, "Listen Luna, you held up better than most humans would've, it's just, I'm better." Arcee said, hoping her words would make Luna feel somewhat better.

"Thanks Arcee" Luna said, smiling as she latched onto Arcee's arm to help herself up, "However...you aren't better just yet!" And with that battle cry, Luna, using the last of her strength, jumped up and dashed across the arm of Arcee, standing up on her shoulder as Luna's arm shifted into a small Ion Blaster, "I believe, this is checkmate." Luna said with a triumphant smile on her face.

Arcee raised her arms up, and immediately Luna suspected a surprise attack, but did not get one. "You win kid, no lethal force means I can't take you down, so, looks like you win this skirmish." Arcee said as she smiled to herself, "Mind getting that gun out of my face? I don't want you getting all trigger-happy on me."

In a mixture of being perplexed and full of pride, Luna hopped off Arcee's shoulder and presented herself before Optimus Prime, "Sir...I uh, passed the combat training." Luna said, nervously, before realizing the true extent of her accomplishments, "Sir! What can I do to enhance myself now?"

Optimus smiled softly and nodded in acknowledgment of Luna's success, "Let's get started."


	11. Chapter 11

After grueling days of training, Luna has become a skilled fighter and unofficial Wrecker by Bulkhead. At the moment she has only been sent on repair missions, to fix problems too small for the Autobots to solve. Optimus continues to keep his distance from her, knowing a threat looming over them.

**Two Years Later**

Ratchet walks into a conference room with Arcee. The two bots look at Optimus with solemn faces. Prime's back was facing them as he looked down at a small box on a table. He turned away from the box and looked at the two; his emotions masked by the metal plate over his mouth.

"Optimus, we need to discuss what our plan of action will be once the Decepticons come for...well, you know..." Ratchet spoke after a long silence.

"I have thought of the solution, and one thing is clear, the Decepticons cannot secure their objective, and we must stop them...no matter the cost."

"What about Luna?" Arcee looked at both mechs that towered over her, "She should know about this. I mean, she is part of the team anyways, right?"

Optimus looked down in thought, "Luna...mustn't know the truth just yet; I fear after the experience she has endured already, this knowledge will only cause unneeded stress and pain."

"She's bound to find out eventually. She's a smart girl. It's either we tell her, she finds out or worse," Arcee's optics lowered and frowned, "the Decepticons will tell..."

"Remember Arcee, Raf thought Luna perished in the fire along with her parents, her existence is a surprise to him, so the Decepticons are no more aware then he is. But, the mission objectives will be shared with Luna" Prime turns to the side to glance at the box on the table, "Tomorrow, we bring the fight to the Decepticons."

"Arcee, take Bulkhead and Bumblebee to the armory and get locked and loaded, Ratchet, prepare the ground bridge; I shall inform Wheeljack we shall be moving out at sunrise. I ask you to do the same for Cheetor, Arcee."

"And what about Luna?" Arcee questioned, "You know she's going to find it fishy if we all go, and leave her home along. She'll find out, and she'll want to come with us".

Optimus shook his head and turned to Arcee, "Luna shall stay at base for now, with Cheetor as a guardian, until our return, and, our victory." Arcee looked down, still keeping her ground before Optimus, not showing her distaste of the situation before taking a step back, "Of course, Optimus."

Arcee turned and left the room, walking past Bumblebee and Bulkhead, motioning for them to follow behind her, Bumblebee spoke in a series of questioning buzzes and beeps, Arcee turned, and muttered a single word, "Decepticons."

Alone with his thoughts, Optimus looked up at the ceiling, the memories of past conflicts flooding his mind, "Megatron, brother…may the ancients before us forgive the events that must unfold this day." Optimus heads towards the exit, "Until all…are one."

* * *

><p>In a separate confined room in the base, the sounds of laughter and card shuffling fills the halls, "<strong>FULL HOUSE<strong>!" Luna cried out, as she slaps down her cards, "I win again Freckles, that's over thirty you owe me now!"

Cheetor rolled his eyes, sliding a large pile of wrapped candies to Luna's side of the table, "Ugh...I _**NEVER**_ lost this much against Bulkhead. I used to be good at this game!"

"Yeah, maybe that's because Bulkhead destroys the cards when he picks them up?" Luna laughed as she counted her winnings, "Not to mention, he's not a card shark like Luna Carvaline! The World's Poker Champion!" Luna flexed her robotic arm in victory.

Arcee entered the room, trying to make sense of what she was walking into, "Playing for sugary nuggets? When you play Cheetor, you play hardcore huh?" A small smirk appears on her face.

"Very funny, it's not like I get a paycheck to gamble away do I? Anyway, what do you want Arcee? I'm kinda busy."

"I need to talk with you for a second…you look like you have some spare time after all." Arcee motions for Cheetor to follow her.

"Fine. I'll be right back Luna, don't touch my chips! I counted them!" Cheetor called out, as he left with Arcee.

Arcee leads Cheetor down a few hallways away from Luna's hearing range, "Cheetor, I need you to understand this." Arcee glares into Cheetor's eyes, nothing but seriousness across her face, "I need you to stay here, and keep Luna out of trouble, keep her from the ground bridge, from the mission, from everything, she cannot know about us going after…you know who...alright?"

"Boss bot is really going for it? Taking the fight to the cons, that's a suicide mission...he's got a plan right?" Cheetor asked, face full of conflict over Prime's decision.

"He always has a plan Spots, but you need to focus on Luna, we'll focus on taking down the cons, and..him, just keep her clueless, and we'll be back soon." Arcee said.

"I got it, I got it, just be sure you get the job done…I'm sick of knowing that he's still out there, plotting, manipulating the cons..he needs to be wiped out.." Cheetor said, rubbing his optics "The things he's done just cannot go unpunished."

Arcee places a servo on Cheetor's shoulder, "We'll get him, I promise."

Arcee walks off, leaving Cheetor alone in the hall. Unbeknownst to them, leaning against the wall across from them, Luna stood eavesdropping, eyes wide with shock from the conversation she had just overheard.

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime stood in the central hub of the Autobot base, locking ammunition capsules into his Ion Blasters, "Ratchet, do you have the coordinates set for the arrival point within the Nemesis?" Optimus asked as his dual blasters reverted into hands.<p>

"After the damage Bulkhead caused to their electron shielding, getting the bridge into their ship is nothing more difficult than a line of basic programming. But Optimus...this mission is going to be high risk, you should know that you cannot change him...he is too far gone to the Decepticon side." Ratchet spoke, a tint of sadness in his voice.

Arcee entered the central hub, Bulkhead and Bumblebee following behind her, "You two ready to bring the fight to the cons?" Arcee called, her wrist blades extending, poised for combat.

"Yeah, I'm ready as ever but" Bulkhead said, taking in a heavy sigh, "Luna needs to know what we're doing Prime, she is a member of this team, she deserves to be clued in on this."

"In time Bulkhead, for now, let us bring those who would devastate the rights of sentient beings to justice" Optimus called to his troops, looking down at a small silver locket in his hand, "Autobots, may the rising darkness be dissolved by the light of the matrix. For this, our final hour! Transform, and Roll out!"


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm waiting, Freckles." Luna's voice spoke in the eerie silence. "What. Was that. About?" She leaned in over the poker table and points at him. "And you better tell me now or I'll find out!" Luna threatened.

Cheetor rolled his eyes, "Oh nothing, Arcee was just warning me not to bust another game system, Fowler is ticked at the first three I broke." He smiles and gives a thumbs up, hoping she would buy the huge lie.

Luna didn't budge, or blink. She kept her unmoving stare at Cheetor, examining his face. There were a few minutes of silence before she pulled away and sat upright in her chair. Luna let out a laugh and smiled wide.

"You are a bit clumsy with the consoles. Maybe I should set up the next one, hmm?" Luna got out of her seat and walks over to the T.V. and game consoles.

Cheetor sighed in relief, standing up to join her. Luna lowered her eyes as she plugged in the console to the T.V. She didn't fully believe Cheetor, but she could always weasel it out of him later.

Optimus plows through the ground bridge, followed by the other Autobots. He quickly transforms into his protoform mode and stood alongside his team. The Autobots, we are currently in the boiler room. Optimus and the others converted their arms into blasters simultaneously.

"Now, we need to make our way up 3 levels, to the command deck, are we clear?" Prime ordered.

_"_"Loud and clear." Arcee looks around and holds up her gun, ready for any sudden attacks; though thinks back at how silly that would be to be attacked in the boiler room, and puts her arm back down.

Bumblebee transforms beside them both and looks down at the ground with a saddened look, "I don't know if I can do this Optimus..."

"Stay strong young scout, but if you would rather not participate, I shall have Ratchet fire up the ground bridge for you."

Bumblebee sighs, "No... I need to finish this." He shakes his head and stands upright, "You're right. It won't happen again, Optimus."

"Autobots, let's move out." Prime slides open the door and checks the hall. "All clear."

Arcee goes in front of Optimus and keeps the path clear. Looking around the ends of the hall; nods for the others to follow. The Autobots follow behind Optimus and Arcee, minds filled with thoughts of revenge and past memories.

There was a loud crashing sound in the headquarters as Cheetor lets out a slight growl and narrows his eyes, glaring at the T.V. screen, "C'mon, C'mon pass her...pass herrrrr!"

You're _slooow_!" Luna laughs and reaches the finish line. "One more lap to go for me~!" The red haired girl stood up and dances a bit to tease the Autobot beside her.

Cheetor's mind zones out and thinks about how the mission is going, hoping the team is doing alright. He lets the buttons go on the game controller, allowing Luna to win the race. He hears her laughter and cheers as his mind comes back to the real world.

"What?" His eyes bug out. He notices her victory and smiles slightly, "Oh, guess you won kiddo."

Luna puts down her controller and frowns looking back at Cheetor, "Cheetor... You've been spacing out on me a lot during this game. It's not like you. It's not the consoles Arcee talked to you about." Luna shook her head for emphasis and waves her robotic finger at his face to scold him. "Something's up. And you're hiding it."

"Nothing-is-up-every-thing-is-fine-Luna" Cheetor sputtered nervously.

Luna raises an eyebrow; she knew something _**HAD TO**_ be going on without her knowledge when her best friend started to talk one hundred miles per hour.

Her eyes flashed as she figured it out, she let out a loud whine and put her hands over her face, "Oh _Primus_...no...they left without me didn't they? And you're my baby sitter! **UGH**! **I CAN'T **_**BELIEVE**_** PRIME**! **HOW COULD HE**?" Enraged, Luna kicked the table in front of her, making the snacks on top fall all over the floor and the table collapse over the crumbs.

"Relax, it was just a recon patrol anyway, Prime just thought...you'd be bored at stuff." Cheetor motioned for her to calm down, hoping for dear life that she will listen to him.

"I still can't _believe_ he would even do this to me! He's my _master, guardian_, even! He...he told me I was one of you guys! I..." Luna stopped mid-sentence and sat down on the couch, her hands back on her face.

"You _are_ one of the team, he...just thought you'd have more fun here with me." Cheetor frowned and made her look at him, "Am I not good enough for you?"

Luna let out a sniffle and shook her head, "No you're fine. I just can't believe he wants to keep so many things away from me. Hell, he doesn't even hang around me! He just comes in and tells me a few things and leaves. It's annoying!" Luna wipes her eyes angrily and groans. She lowers her eyes, leaning on his arm for support. "I'm not worthy of being part of the team and he knows it..."

Cheetor blinked at her words, "Don't say that...he's just...trying to protect you and stuff; he doesn't want you to get hurt." Guilt started to wash over him, but he pushed that aside, trying to keep Luna safe and her mind set away from following after the team.

"But he gave me armor so I wouldn't get hurt!" Luna shakes her head, rubbing her temples, "It makes no sense! One minute he's all proud and says I'm an Autobot then the next he's all," Luna sits up and makes a grumpy face, waving her finger and mocking Optimus' deep voice. "Luna can't join! It's just confusing..." She sits back and sighs.

Cheetor stared at Luna and tightly closed his eyes, "I...I can't keep lying to you Luna." Cheetor said, looking away from Luna's eyes, "Optimus is going after the man who...tried to kill you that day... He didn't want you to see this, he feared your need for revenge, would cloud your judgment."

Standing up, Luna glared at Cheetor, "Son of a….and he just left me here? He killed my parents! I need to punch this guy square in the jaw!" A pause, before the words left her mouth, "I can't just sit here Cheetor...I need this closure..."

Cheetor shook his head in refusal, "Luna, this is Optimus, he can do the job himself just fine, and the villain will be taken care of, he did not want you to seek revenge, so don't go and try to do what he tried so hard to prevent. It'll only end in disaster."

"I have to see him Cheetor, I have to at least see this man in person, and then we'll leave." Luna said, sitting back down, "You can protect me, keep me in check, whatever Arcee told you to do, but I need to see his face, I need to open the closet…confront the monster head on."

"Luna, for the last time, _**NO**_. Taking you into a combat situation this early after your training, it would only put you in further danger, not to mention, Optimus would have my hide if I did that!"

Luna rolled her eyes and stared at Cheetor intently, "Come on, Freckles. I've done missions before, I can't I just go and see this guy? You'll be there to stop me from anything reckless right? What's the harm in that?"

Cheetor thought her words over, thinking back at all the harm this monster did...to both Luna, and himself, "Fine." Cheetor said, standing up before Luna, nothing but a serious expression on his face, "We go in, you see him, no confrontation, no attacks, nothing, then we get out of there, alright?"

Luna's eyes widened as a smile spread across her face, "Thank you Freckles, no confrontation at all, I promise. Best behavior, I promise."


	13. Chapter 13

Cheetor stood before the Ground Bridge controls, setting the coordinates for their destination, "Okay, everything is set, we should get going before Ratchet comes in." Cheetor said as he turned to Luna, eyes narrowed, "Remember, no talking, no attacking, nothing, you see him, we go, got it?"

Luna saluted and laughed, "Loud and clear…I'm ready to confront him." She turned to face the spiraling green portal, "After you, Freckles."

Cheetor began to run into the vortex, vanishing as he crossed through.

"_You can do this Luna...you can face him."_ Luna whispered to herself as she chased after Cheetor, passing through the vortex.

On the other side, Luna looked around, the room lit much darker then she was used to with the Autobots, "Cheetor...psst, Cheetor, where are-" Cut off before her sentence ended, an unseen hand pulled Luna behind a large computer console.

"Listen, stay here, keep quiet, and just watch, got it?" Cheetor mumbled into Luna's ear, pulling her behind the console, "He should be in here soon."

Across the room the sliding panels of the door opened, a small figure entered, followed by a group of three Vehicons who towered over the shadowy figure.

"_There he is."_ Cheetor whispered to Luna, _"You want to see your monster? Take a look..but make it quick."_

Luna leaned out from behind the computer console, just enough to see the figure. Before her, stood a man with red-brown hair, and glasses, a flowing black cape, Luna stared silently as the figured turned, facing his Vehicon troops.

"Incompetent _fools_! How can you expect me to kill those high and mighty Autobots, when you three can't even lure them into a simple trap! Absolutely useless, all of you!" The man yelled out, glaring menacingly at the Vehicons, "Now go wait for the Autobots in the bridge room, maybe you'll be able to get results with Megatron's trap? But remember, you are to bring Bumblebee to me. I have some words to share with him."

Luna recoiled back behind the console, covering her mouth in horror, trying to hide her shock, _"Che...Cheetor, it's all a trap, the others, they...they're ..."_ Luna whispered only to be interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open once again, a much heavier being entering.

"Ah, Megatron, such a, pleasure to see you, what can I do to be of service?" The man spoke, crossing his arms to emphasize his sarcasm.

Megatron strode into the command center, leaning down to glare at the man with his deep, chaotic purple eyes, "If I wanted false loyalty, I would speak with Starscream. Now, you say '_**ALL**_ of us are useless?'" Megatron smoothly said, a pointed figure being pressed against the man's stomach, "Care to repeat that again?"

The man hesitated a moment, letting his fear get back into check, "No...Megatron...it's quite alright." the man said, as he looked up to the hulking behemoth that was the Decepticon commander.

"As I thought." Megatron said, turning face to leave the command center.

Luna leaned against the console, silent as she listened to the entire conversation that had unfolded, _"Cheetor,"_ Luna whispered_, "Why is he with Megatron, I mean...Megatron treats him like a used engine block, but he gets to command the troops as well? Who is this guy?"_

Cheetor looked down and sighed, turned, and face Luna again, _"That...is Raf."_

In front of them, a new conflict arose, "I suggest you remember your place Raf, you may be aligned with the Decepticon Empire, but your ambitions are meaningless in the eyes of us, we follow Megatron, no one else." The lead Vehicon spoke, leading the others out of the room.

Raf shook his head in anger, turning to work on the computer Luna and Cheetor were hiding behind.

Luna whispered softer to Cheetor, _"So...why do they keep him? They obviously don't like him..."_

Cheetor's eyes narrowed, looking back at Raf's history with the Autobots, _"He knows things that Megatron values, information about us that..Megatron likes to abuse. If he stops telling secrets, Megatron would cut him loose in a nanoclik…it's not a tender loving partnership."_ Cheetor whispered.

The lead Vehicon entered the room once again, searching around.

"Oh, soldier, did you forget something?" Raf said, turning from the computer, as he hid a small device behind his back.

"Do not speak to me like in such a manner; must I remind you who the dominant species here is?" The Vehicon said, his blaster forming from his hand.

"Yes…" Raf said, a sick twisted smile spreading across his face, "**LET ME REMIND YOU**!"

Raf lunged forward, taking a small staff like device, stabbing it into the leg of the Vehicon, "Don't you forget why I am still here!" Raf cried out, stabbing the staff multiple times, "I am here, because I make a more powerful ally then a foe!"

The Vehicon crashed to the floor, red strings of energy coursing over its entire body as it convulsed in pain.

Luna covered her mouth, watching the entire attack occur, _"Oh god...Cheetor, the others, they won't have a chance like this..."_ Luna whispered, _"We have to do something, we can't just sit here!"_

Cheetor shook his head and sighed in frustration, _"There's no way to contact them via comlink, the cons have jamming signals operational...but if we don't do something...they're gonna be nothing by scrap!"_ Cheetor formed a fist in his hand as he turned to Luna, _"Listen, we're going to jump Raf...we take him out, we can at least eliminate one threat the others would have to deal with."_

Luna smiled softly, as she nudged Cheetor's shoulder, _"I thought you said I could only look? Not fight?"_ Luna said, her arm shifting its metal plating as it transformed into a gun, _"But don't think I'm complaining, I'm going to make this guy pay for what he's done to us."_

Cheetor shook his head, and placed a hand on Luna's shoulder, _"Listen you must be careful, Raf is no basic Vehicon trooper, he is skilled, he knows all our techniques."_ Cheetor said with a tint of sadness, _"Our only shot is to fight him together, catch him off guard."_ Cheetor's battle mask dropped down, his hands converting into twin energon Scimitars, _"You ready to do this Luna?"_

"_Have you _seen_ Wheeljack's training, Cheetor?"_ Luna said, a slight smile formed, _"He's not merciful with his training, if I can survive that, I'm pretty sure Raf won't give me much trouble."_ Luna's body slowly became encased in a red and blue armor, _"I'm ready to kick some ass."_

The duo launched themselves out from the computer panel, weapons poised to strike, as Raf stood in front of the Vehicon he had murdered, back turned to the charging Autobots, oblivious to their weapons aimed for his neck.


	14. Chapter 14

A sinister smile grows across Raf's face as his long black cape drops down to the floor. Mounted on his back, a high tech box erupts with two twin cables, each with a serrated razor at the end, lash out at the attackers, Luna and Cheetor.

"A foolish attempt at a sneak attack." Raf bantered, "I realized you two were back there a mere three point two seconds ago." The cables whipped across Cheetor and Luna, the two being recoiled across the room, as Raf approached, fixated on Luna, "A new Autobot? Or another of Optimus' laughable attempts to bring humans and Cybertronians together? Regardless of the means, allow me to welcome you to the war."

Raising the staff that slayed the Vehicon before, Raf stabbed Luna's shoulder, the hooked metal alloy chipped Luna's armor plating, as small red sparks of energy coursed over the wound, "They just don't make them like they used to do they?" Raf quipped.

The centrally place door opened once again, from which a squad of five Vehicons entered, all of them immediately aiming their blasters at the wounded Luna, and Cheetor.

"Luna, are you alright, speak to me kid." Cheetor asked, as he viewed the Vehicons moving in closer.

"I'm no kid, Cheetor." Luna responded, "And Raf… We aren't down and out just yet!"

With her cry Cheetor sprang into action, leaping up using his speed, Cheetor landed on the back of the nearest Vehicon soldier, stabbing his Scimitar blade through the Decepticon's neck. "Luna, I have these guys handled, you need to secure the target!" Cheetor yelled out, dodging the laser fire of the Vehicons.

Luna stood up, her hand placed on the wound, "Nice toy kid." Luna said as she reached up, grabbed hold of the staff, as she pushed it forward into the shoulder of Raf, "You must play with it a lot." Raf let out a low chuckle as pulled the prod out of his shoulder, no blood split, nothing suggesting the wound was damaging.

"I play with it enough for it to not affect me little _Autobot_." Raf chuckled as four metallic cables emerged from the device on his back, "This toy is my favorite though, and my victims make the loveliest sounds when they're dismembered this way."

From the cables transformed two thin, but lethally, sharp spinning blades, from the other two sprung out metallic claws, armed with razor sharp hooked talons. The twin clawed cables slammed against Luna's chest, as they pushed her hard against the wall. Raf approached slowly, taking his time as the two spinning blade cables reached out, colliding with Luna, sparks flying, as her armor slowly began to be chipped away.

"_**SLAG**_! This is bad.." Luna mumbled from inside her armor, "Armor systems, release in three seconds." Luna called out, hoping this plan would work.

The seconds passed, as Luna's armor exploded off her, pushing the cables holding her down away as pieces of the armor flew out around the room. Raf turned to see the pieces of metal land on the floor around him, then he turned to face Luna.

"Clever one aren't you." Raf laughed, "The clever ones are always the most enjoyable to ki.." Raf paused, looking at what he thought was an Autobot. "You're no Autobot."

"I'm full of surprises." Luna responded, as a determined smile formed.

Within moments her hand shifted from a blaster into a hooked sword, as she lunged towards Raf, "**DIE YOU **_**CREEP**_!"

* * *

><p>Cheetor watched on as he struggled holding off the remaining Vehicons, "Oh no you don't, you aren't excused from the table young man!" Cheetor quipped as he grabbed a Vehicon by the leg, pulling him away from assisting Raf. Cheetor's attention was broken as he heard Luna's head on attack, dropping what he was doing Cheetor went to rush after Luna, "<em><strong>NO<strong>_! **DON'T, LUNA! HE**-" Cheetor was cut off short, a barrage of Vehicon laser fire hitting him directly in the back.

Raf stood as he viewed Luna's assault, never did he drop his sadistic smile, "How foolish, did Optimus teach you nothing?" From his back emerged a cable that sported a mechanical drill. It whipped forward as it pierced into Luna's unprotected shoulder, stopping her charge with ease as blood slowly dripped from the wound.

"Y..You bastard…" Luna muttered, trying to stand despite the horrific pain.

"Ah, name calling will not help your situation here..." Raf responded, "You're in enemy waters little girl, and with your blood, the sharks will come, and trust me when I say, _noone_ alive will survive the frenzy." Two more cables erupted from the device on his back, mounted on each was another drill, "Hmm, not yet, let's have a little fun shall we?"

With his signal, the remaining Vehicon soldiers dragged the now unconscious Cheetor over to him, "Funny how even the noblest of intentions can go wrong, isn't that right?" Raf asked halfheartedly, he knew the answer, even if it was one he created himself. "Something about you though..it seems familiar. Just who are you?"

Luna shook her head, doing her best to ignore the pain in her shoulder, "Here's a hint you piece of slag!" Luna shouted, her robotic arm raised as it converted into an ion blaster, ready to fire.

"I wouldn't do that now" Raf calmly said, the other drill cable piercing into the shoulder that carried her robotic hand, "Now then, back to my question" Raf said, watching Luna's robotic arm fall to the ground. Raf raised his distortion staff, now pointed towards Cheetor's spark chamber, "The look in your eyes, you came after me with revenge in your heart, a feeling I know for true, you came, sword raised, filled with vengeance, and I want to know why you did so!" Raf yelled, dropping the serrated edge of the staff onto Cheetor's shoulder "**NOW **_**TALK**_!"

Luna turned away from the scene, "I just have that look I guess, I came to attack a Decepticon, and you looked smaller and weaker than the others." She said, lying.

Raf leaned in, inches from Luna's face, _"Nice try."_ he whispered, as he pulled out a small energy pistol from his pocket, firing at Cheetor's chest, as the Autobot woke from his unconscious state, crying out in pain.

"Lie to me again little Autobot…" Raf said, aiming the blasted right at Cheetor's head, "You get the picture don't you? You are a nice, _smart_ little girl aren't you?"

Luna cringed slightly, "It was a half lie anyways." She remarked, her cringed expression turning into a smile. Luna knew she couldn't reveal her identity to this madman, but she couldn't risk the life of Cheetor, her friend. Luna knew her one option was to stall. Stall until help arrived. "You need to ask in the form of a question..it's a…condition of mine, I need to know what I'm being asked is all."

Raf shook his head in disgust, his weapon still aimed at Cheetor's head, "Fine, answer this: Who are you?"

Luna smirked and raised her head slightly, ignoring the pain in her shoulders, "I'm Luna, the new Autobot..kind of…I'm in training. That good enough for you _buddy_?"

Raf laughed and twisted the driller in Luna's shoulder slightly, getting a sick rush out of seeing her wince in pain, "Not good enough at all." Raf said, motioning for the Vehicons to bring Cheetor closer, his pistol now directly on Cheetor's head, "Out of all the threats on this vessel, why go after me? Why go after the 'Small weak one' when you could've ambushed Megatron, or even Breakdown, there must be a motive behind…" Raf stopped mid-sentence, his eyes and mind fixated on something else entirely. "**WHAT. IS. THAT. MARK**?" He yelled, pointing to a small, crescent moon shaped birthmark on Luna's pale neck.

Luna raised an eyebrow and glared at Raf, "It's a birthmark, people get one, it's not unusual you know."

Raf's eyes widen before a wicked grin appears across his face, "So one of you survived after all. Of **_ALL_** the people to survive my assault, the daughter, barely old enough to care for herself, is the one to live through it all! Pure _poetry_, if I had any humanity left in me, my heart would grow less cold from the pure sentiment of your survivor." Raf said, as he turned the blaster from Cheetor to Luna's head, "Unfortunately, I have no time to waste with such things, however, I have time to clean up one mess I should've snuffed out, a. Long. Time. Ago."

Raf's finger twitched against the trigger, Luna's head in the cross-hairs of the gun, "Any last words? Survivor of the Inferno?"

Cheetor chuckled as he lifted his head up, his shoulder sparking where he was damaged, "Oh, I have a few words to share, Raf."

The pistol turned from Luna to Cheetor again, "Oh, please do share, I'm more than happy to oblige a kitty who wishes to be put out of his misery." Raf coldly replied.

Luna watched helplessly as Cheetor kept his calm expression across his face, "Do all villains do this? I mean Raf, you're being pretty _cliché_ here." Luna muttered, as she taunted him.

"I collect the last words of the Autobots I slay, so far I've got a lot of duplicates." Raf said as he pulled back lightly on the trigger, "Please give me some new material, Autobot."

"Oh, I'll give you something really unique, Raf." Cheetor said as his eyes began to glow an intense shade of green, "Computer, deactivate all safety protocols, interface with Core Matrix Unit 47923-L, begin diagnostics and prepare holding mechanisms to be deactivated."

Raf and Luna watched by, in a state of shock at the words Cheetor was speaking.

"Computer!" Cheetor cried out.

"**INITIATE: ****SAVAGE CLAW MODE****!**"


	15. Chapter 15

Cheetor's body swiftly broke apart, his components shattering into metal panels and shards as the Vehicons holding him stumbled back in shock. The pieces of metal formed over Luna's body, locking in place, as they formed a new, fierce looking battle armor. Luna stared as her red and blue, robotic hand shifted in color, becoming a emerald shade of green, her Optimus symbol replaced with a Cheetor styled symbol, her hand bursting out, a large rack of golden talons attached themselves to her arm, razor sharp and lethal.

"**OH **_**SCRAP**_!" Luna yelled, looking herself over, amazed at the transformation that had suddenly unfold, "You kept this from me all this time, Freckles?" Luna's attention and glee shifted to determination as she glanced back to Raf, "Oh, I am so going to enjoy this." Luna raised her hand up high, small claws extending from her fingers, bringing them down in a swift motion as they cut through Raf's cables.

Within Luna's mind a voice echoed out, _"Sorry for keeping this from you."_ Cheetor said, speaking via a mental link Luna and Cheetor shared while they remained combined, _"I had strict orders from Optimus to keep this as a last resort measure, and well, not more last resort then lives at stake right?"_

"Forget it, all I know is." Luna said as her arm mounted talons dropped down, three golden scimitar like claws poised to strike, "I'm ready to finish this once and for all!"

"New suit, same product." Raf quipped, the device on his back opening all compartments as six cables extended out, armed with various different weapons, "**LOSERS!**" A smile crosses Raf's faces as the cables lash out at Luna.

With no indication of movement at all the cables were shredded, falling to the floor as Luna's eyes narrowed, focusing on Raf, "You have nothing left Raf, you're going to pay for your crimes." Luna said, "Hope you're ready to get your ass kicked."

Cheetor chuckled, _"Might I recommend we __**CUT**__ him down to size? Maybe just a little bit off the top?"_ , he said, not aware his jokes were as bad as his timing.

"Oh _Primus_, Freckles, I see the down side of this new armor, I get all these pointy weapons, but I have to deal with you in my head!" Luna yelled. "We'll deal with your comedy issue later, but for now." Luna raised her robotic hand up high, the three golden talons gleaming in the light, "Let's start with that huge ass head of his."

Raf was stunned by the sudden change of power that had unfolded, unable to comprehend that his once helpless victims, now had him on the ropes. "No, I will not allow you to end it this way!" Raf said, he ran over to the computer console and activated the defense grid, within seconds dozens of auto-guns appeared from behind compartments in the walls, aimed at Luna, "**FIRE**!" Raf cried out.

Using her armored arms, Luna blocked the fire as much as she good, feeling herself being pushed back by the constant bullet fire, "Ugh…any ideas, Freckles? I'm sorta new to this thing and you forgot the damn instruction manual!" Luna shouted, annoyed her new powers weren't benefitting her at the moment.

"_Wow, still a rookie huh? Listen, this mode gives you enhanced speed, agility, strength, and a self regenerating armor, so here's my best advice."_ Cheetor said, _"Ahem, __**USE IT**__!"_

Luna nodded, dropping her protective stance to leap towards the wall, using newfound agility as she lunged at each auto-gun, shredding each one into nothing more than scrap, "Now then" Luna said, jumping down to the floor, "Your turn".

Raf stumbled back, clueless as to how to stop this new threat on his own, "You fools!" Raf cried out, scurrying away to the nearby elevator shaft, "Megatron has sprung his trap, your Autobot pals will have been turned to molten slag by now!" The elevator closes behind him, rapidly making his cowardly escape.

Luna shook her head and sighed, "Well, there's one loose end gone, and Prime…he's **PRIME**, he wouldn't fall into a trap so easily _right_?"

Cheetor replied, _"We don't have much time Luna, we need to go to the center of the Nemesis, I'm certain that is where Megatron and the others will be."_ A tone of concern filled his voice.

"Yeah, you're right Cheetor." Luna said softly, as she headed into the elevator Raf departed in, "Optimus, where ever you are." Luna examined her newly obtained armor and weapons, "Back up is on the way."


	16. Chapter 16

Optimus Prime clashes blades with Megatron. Both mechs staring each other down. Megatron's eyes filled with hatred and the lust for violence. Prime, with a glint of fear in his eyes, stared back, serious and unmoving.

"Admit defeat Megatron! Your weapon is destroyed, your troops desert you! You cannot win this battle!"

Megatron spins and pushes Prime back, "You pompous _idiot_!" Megatron spat, and aims his cannon, "**LET THE SLAUGHTER **_**BEGIN**_!" A wide and sinister smirk spread across his face as they fired at each other.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere<strong>

"_Elevator music is catchy at least..."_

"It's annoying...like it's mocking me!" Luna pouted behind her helmet and crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the steel flooring.

"_You think everything is mocking you if it's standing still."_ Cheetor pointed out.

"I can't have Prime die or get hurt, and we still have to warn him about Raf!" Luna blinked and had a sudden thought flash in her mind, "H-hey...where _are_ you exactly when we're like this?"

Cheetor was glad about the sudden distraction Luna brought up. Anything to help her get a clear mind and thing right was perfect in this type of situation, _"I'm in your head, we sorta share a brain right now…"_ Flashes of Luna's memories play through her head as Cheetor takes advantage of the situation. _"Wow, __**that's**__ embarrassing." _He snickered.

"Stay out of there, Freckles!" Luna blushes and stamps her foot in embarrassment.

Cheetor chuckled and taps into Luna's communicator, _"Ratchet, this is Cheetor and Luna, Savage Claw mode has been engaged, you know what that means right doc?"_

"Cheetor? What mess did you get yourself into?" A familiar voice whined into the communicator.

"_Confronted Raf...sorta...anyway,"_ Cheetor continued on, ignoring the grouchy medic, _"The whole thing is a trap for Prime, we need to back him up, ready the sick bay just in case."_

"Oh yeah!" Luna interjected before the com link cut off, "And Cheetor got beat up pretty bad too. Don't forget an extra bed for him…Umm...don't ask...Okay?" The duo only heard a grunt before the link clicked off. Luna watches the elevator and whines, "Oh dear _**PRIMUS**_! Could it go any _slower_?"

"Prime's energy signature is getting closer...and weaker." Cheetor reported, growing concerned.

Luna frowned and looked at her feet, "Hey...Freckles...is my head supposed to hurt this much with the Savage Claw Mode on?" She puts her hand on top of her head and groans loudly.

"_Sorry, the link isn't meant to last more than five minutes or...well...you didn't need to use __**all**__ of your brain anyway right?"_ Cheetor spoke with a nervous tone.

Luna scoffed and winced in slight pain, "Ugh, I guess not... hmm?" The two hear the elevator chime and start to open the doors. "Show time." Luna pushes aside the pain and shifts her arms into blasters, ready to attack whatever is behind the doors.

A climatic battle ensues before them, Prime and Megatron, titans of metal and steel, exchanging blows with one another. Neither one of the two showing any point in giving up or winning as their Ion Blasters shifted. Luna looked around the room and her eyes widened in at the sight of Optimus battling. She was filled with pride and courage seeing him as he faces such an opponent head on. Her eyes narrowed as she ran out of the elevator to help.

"I can't keep the headache back for long, Cheetor. We'll have to alternate attacks, got it?" Luna ordered.

"I don't know...Savage Claw Mode is strong but...this is _Megatron_, Optimus looks like he has it under control." Cheetor pointed out. Luna found it strange how her friend was backing out. It didn't seem like him at all.

"Well, _**still**_! Even if we don't attack you might need to control for a while. I can't think straight." Luna rubs her head as she stays a bit back from Optimus and Megatron as they continue to battle in front of her.

Cheetor sighed and uses a mental strengthener to ease the connection, "That should help the combination strain, now...just get ready, Megatron is rarely this easy to knock down."

Optimus kicks Megatron back, slicing his fusion cannon off in the process, "It's _**over **_Megatron!" Prime draws his blade, pointing it at Megatron's head. "Brother, it fills my spark with sorrow to have to end things like this." Optimus aims his sword at Megatron's neck. "Truly, I did not wish for things to come to this..."

"Prime, does it make you feel better to try and _justify_ your murders?" Megatron laughs at the sound of his words. "You truly are a _**GREEEAT **_leader Optimus."

A shadowed figure appears behind Luna. Long mechanic-like arms reach out for her as Arachnid spoke eerily, "Hello _kiddies_."

Luna quickly looks back and catches sight of the purple and black femme/spider. She spots the attack and jumps back. Her eyes narrow as she fights Arachnid. Luna starts to get slightly angered at how Arachnid fights and gets more aggressive, only to get caught in Arachnid's webbing.

"What will it be Optimus? Kill me, or save your allies?" Megatron grins evilly, glancing at the sight of someone on Prime's side be caught.

Optimus narrowed his optics, "How about both?" Both of Prime's hands warp into blasters, looking to Arachnid and firing at her. In addition to firing clumsily at Megatron, not aiming any of his shots.

Arachnid hisses and dodges Prime's weak attempts, "You kids get a good look now, wouldn't want you to miss the grand finale." Arachnid raises a dagger tipped spider leg above Luna's head, ready to strike down.

Luna looks at the dagger and closes her eyes, "Cheetor! C'mon! Help me out here! You'll die too ya know!"

"_Think I'm not trying?"_ Cheetor struggles with Luna. _"This stuff is hard to break y'know!"_

"**NO! LUNA!**" Optimus exclaims, catching sight of Arachnid. He aims both cannons at Arachnid, firing rapidly on the Decepticon.

Arachnid darts her dagger down hard, chuckling sadistically. A shot is heard, alongside a piercing sound of steel cutting through metal. Luna takes a few seconds to open her light blue eyes, looking at a horrific scene in front of her. Her eyes were wide as she felt pain strike her head the more she focused. Arachnid falls backwards, a hole pierced through her head. Sparking with energy as she falls back; dead.

"There...all...is..." Optimus looks down, a large blade protruding through his chest, leaking energon at a fatal rate.


	17. Chapter 17

Megatron stood triumphantly as he twisted the wretched blade deeper into the back of Optimus Prime, "Optimus, after all of our encounters, I would have thought you'd have enough sense to know not to turn your back to me." he coldly muttered, the blade piercing through Optimus completely, "I, on the other hand, have learned a great deal from you. One point of great interest to me; how you put the safety of your "friends" above all else." Megatron swung his blade aside, tossing the partly destroyed body of Optimus aside like a rag doll, "_Pathetic_."

Across the room, Luna remained bound by the webbing of the deceased Arachnid, staring at the body of her fallen commander, "You…_**YOU**_!" she exclaimed, struggling inside of her bindings, "**YOU ARE NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE ALIVE YOU SLAG SPITTING PIECE OF SCRAP**!" Luna's inner rage built to unprecedented levels as she tore through the webbing, her weapon systems all activating as she took aim at Megatron, while fighting back tears filled of hatred, and loss.

"Another lamb to the slaughter?" Megatron said as he raised his Fusion Cannon at Luna, "Who am I to deny death to someone so eager to throw their life away?" His cannon roared and hummed, a chaotic burst of purple energy charging inside the blackened barrel of the cannon.

Before either could exchange fire a spiraling mass of transwarp energy opened behind Luna. As Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Wheeljack rushed through the Ground Bridge, unleashing a barrage of energy beam pulses from their weapons.

"**LUNA! GET BACK TO BASE! **_**NOW**_!" Bulkhead yelled as he fired at Megatron and missed.

Looking to the Autobots around her, Luna glared at Megatron and fired upon him with the rest of her team with eyes of vengeance, hatred, and destruction, eyes of a Decepticon. Megatron aimed his cannon coldly at the lifeless body of Prime, as he stared at the husk of his greatest opponent, a stray shot from Luna hit his shoulder, with hesitation, Megatron transformed into a Cybertronian destroyer ship, and flew off into the darkness.

Examining the scene Arcee looked upon the fallen body of Optimus, "Well..Isn't that just Prime?" She stated, as she kneeled down and placed a hand on the forehead of her commander. As she rose up, she took a second glance of those in the room, "Wait a second…**WHERE'S CHEETOR**?"

"In here." Luna said in Cheetor's voice, her tone being altered by the mechanics of her new form, "Sorry, me and Luna were…having a _bonding_ moment."

Arcee did a double take before she leaned in, "You _**DID NOT**_ activate it did you?" shaking her head she withdrew away from Cheetor and Luna, "It doesn't matter, none of it does...we need to get out of here before the Vehicons start coming."

Regaining control, Luna stared into the empty void of night which Megatron escaped into, her rage building, as she ran towards the darkness in chase of her enemy, silent all the while.

"**OH NO YOU **_**DON'T**_!" Arcee exclaimed as she grabbed Luna in her hand, "We are not taking any more risks, not right now!" Luna remained silent as she struggled within Arcee's cast iron grip on her.

"C'mon bots...we need to go home...we need to see to a _fallen_ friend." Bulkhead said with a sad tone and heavy heart, as he slung the remains of Optimus over his shoulder, heading for the bridge.

"Hurry and bring him to Ratchet." Arcee said sadly. "If anything can be done...Ratchet will know." Arcee turned to Luna and sighed, "C'mon kid…we need to go." Luna responded only with more silent struggling, the mind forcing her to replay the death of Optimus over and over again.

One by one, the Autobots marched into the ground bridge, returning to familiar grounds.

Without word Bulkhead rushed to the Medical Bay to find Ratchet, with Arcee and Luna behind him.

"What do you think is wrong with Luna?" Bumblebee said in the form of electronic buzzes and beeps, "She's not like this, she's much more cool and laid back."

Wheeljack approached and responded, "Kid's never seen cons be this brutal, she's new to the war, hasn't gotten scars like this…it's still hard to endure, even for an old Wrecker like me." he said, quietly leaving to see what news Ratchet might hold.

Luna struggled more, finally managing to slip through Arcee's fingers and landed on the floor, rushing back towards the direction of the Ground Bridge, her mind racing as she blamed herself for Prime's death, her need for revenge, and her overwhelming pain from her loss.

Arcee spun around and grabbed hold of Luna's arm, "**SNAP OUT OF IT, LUNA**!", and with one swift motion Arcee lifted Luna from the ground and carried her into the Medical Bay.

* * *

><p>Bulkhead gently laid Prime's body down across the medical table, his body sparking where Megatron's blade pierced his armor, "Doc bot...Tell me he's going to be alright." Bulkhead said in a low, sad tone, as if it was him on that table instead of Optimus.<p>

"You may not be a medical officer, Bulkhead, but look, Megatron knew his target, and he achieved it...he hit Prime's spark itself…even if I were to put him on spark support, even if I used the healing factor's our current synthetic Energon could bring, he still has a low chance of recovery." Ratchet said, as he looked over Prime's body, struggling deep within to keep his emotions in check.

Arcee and Luna entered the room, the female Autobot slowly knelt down, letting Luna walk onto the floor as she overheard the last remarks from Ratchet, "**GET ME OUT OF THIS THING**!" Luna screamed, clawing at her helmet, "**GET OUT OF ME NOW CHEETOR! I WANT MY HEAD BACK! AND I WANT CONTROL I**...**I**...**I**…" Thrashing about, Cheetor disengaged the **SAVAGE CLAW** armor, and reformed a few feet away from Luna.

Cheetor walked closed to Luna, afraid for his friend, "Luna, it...it'll be alright..." he said.

"I…I..." Luna cried, as she held onto her legs, "I couldn't do anything…I couldn't do anything, and he's dead…because of _**ME**_!"

"Luna...are you alright?" Arcee asked, her eyes widened as she saw Luna's response, a blaster pointed at her face.

"Don't talk to me…don't get near me, don't do _**ANYTHING**_ that involves me..Or you might end up like Optimus…like _**EVERYONE**_ I ever cared for..."

A quiet moment winded by, only to be broken by an unexpected source, barely awake and barely alive, Optimus' eyes opened, "Autobots…" He said, his voice weak, "Allies, my friends….do not lose faith, do not lose your courage, live on, live valiantly, live as we always were…a family." His eyes slowly began to dim, his once bright red and blue colors drifting to cold black and grey, "Luna…you meant more to us then you may ever know…my one regret in my existence…is not being there to see you grow up." The eyes of the mighty Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and peacekeeper to all, finally shut. His body a monochrome black and grey, his spark, extinguished.

Luna's eyes watered as she put a hand over her face, wiping away the tears "**WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU GUYS WHEN HE **_**NEEDED**_** YOU**?" She tearfully yelled, firing her blaster off at the wall, "Where were you…when he needed you…why couldn't we save him? Why couldn't I save him? **WHY SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR **_**ME**_?" Her blaster fire finally shooting a hole in the steel wall of the Autobot base.

"Luna." Bulkhead replied, the first to answer Luna's emotional cry, "We were here…trying to stop the Cons from snuffing all of Jasper, and it was Optimus' orders."

A narrow blue beam of code fired from Ratchet's arm, "Computer, deactivate all Weaponry." Ratchet coldly said, as Luna struggled to get her arm under her control again, trying desperately to hold back the tears.

Luna glared at Ratchet with a violent look of hatred, showing her face full of tears, "**I CAN'T **_**BELIEVE**_** YOU**!" she exclaimed, "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me…but who the _frag_ would need me? I can't even…just leave me alone!"

As she stormed off, the Autobots looked to one another, with no leader, and no idea what was to come, they were at a loss.

Ratchet was the first to break this uneasy silence, "Luna..Will recover, she is young, she'll learn how to accept loss, just as we all have." he spoke, holding back whatever emotions he once had.

"Doc, we all have learnt to deal with the loss of friends…but it still hurts, you of all bots should know that." Bulkhead said as he turned from the medical officer, heading back into the main hub of the base.

Cheetor slipped through the eyes of the others, heading after Luna. He knocked gently on her door, "You there kiddo."

The sounds of Luna crying echoed through the door, "Go _away,_ Cheetor!" she said, "I'm not in the mood!" she slowly stroked Furball's back, trying to be comforted by her feline friend.

"Hey…I've lost friends too…and I know it may never stop hurting, and how, or if you could prevent their deaths." Cheetor said through the door, "You can't blame yourself, Prime did what he thought was best, he saved us all by sacrificing himself, and well, he's still alive, as long as we hold him close to us..He lives on."

Luna remained silent, her mind not wanting a speech from Cheetor.

Cheetor sighed, Luna's silence giving him all the answer he needed, "Hey Luna," he said, "my door is always open, if you need to talk." And sadly, Cheetor walked down the hallway, wondering what dark future awaits him, Luna, and the Autobots.


	18. Chapter 18

Luna rushed out and grabbed hold of Cheetor's arm, pulling him back into her room, "Please…don't go." She said as she sniffled her nose, tears of emotion forming around her eyes. Her dark red hair was let down and a tangled mess. This was different from what Cheetor was used to seeing it brushed up into a twisted, spiky clip hairdo.

Cheetor embraced Luna warmly, wanting to comfort his friend, "Alright..I won't go." he whispered, he looked at her tearful face and sighed in relation to her emotions, "C'mon, everything will be alright..no need to cry."

Tears began to flow from Luna's eyes as the trickled down her cheeks, "I didn't want him to go…why did he have to save me?" She said as she forced the words out past her emotions, "I'm not worth a scrap!"

"Prime saw something more in you Luna." Cheetor said, his arms embracing Luna tightly, "He, like the rest of us, know your worth, and know you are worth saving. He gave his life to save you…I say we honor his sacrifice, with the dignity and respect it deserves."

Luna lowered her eyes sadly, "I won't accept he's dead, not like everyone else." She cried as she shifted her head upwards, looking at Cheetor with a tearstained face, "There has to be something we can do to bring him out of his little nap!"

Shaking his head in denial Cheetor chose his words carefully, "Luna, I'm sorry but he's gone, I wish there was a way, but once a Cybertronian's spark is extinguished, it's gone for good…it's not like a movie or TV show, there are no extra lives in real life."

Luna glared back, not willing to accept Cheetor's harsh truth, "He _**WILL**_ be alive again, Cheetor. There has to be ways, I mean c'mon, this is like robotics right? Or better, electricity, he just needs his spark back, recharge it even!"

"A spark isn't like a primitive battery, Luna!" Cheetor snapped back, annoyed with her childish perceptions, "A spark doesn't recharge, nor does it reignite, once it's gone it joins the Matrix with the Well of All Sparks. The only way Prime could be revived is if we had access to his spark, or if it was still alive, and we can't do either, it's beyond even our capabilities."

Luna pointed a finger at Cheetor and stared fiercely into his eyes, "**IT **_**IS**_** ALIVE**!" she yelled, "It's just really small! Oh come on, Freckles, don't be so damn negative." Her face shifting into a pout.

"I'm not being negative!" Cheetor quipped back, "But you can't hide or deny the simple truth, Prime died…he's gone, Ratchet said so himself…"

As Cheetor's words sunk in, Luna pushed him away, hugging herself as she fell to her knees, "**NO**! I..I can't have another die, Cheetor, not when I was watching! Not Optimus…I…" Before Luna's final words left her lips, a voice filled her head, with a soft yet powerful tone.

"_Lunaaaaaa"_ The voice called out

Luna stood up swiftly in a burst of shock, as she looked nervously around her room, "D…Did you hear that?" she asked, "Don't you even think of playing mind games with me right now!"

Cheetor stepped back slowly, watching Luna look around the room in a panicked frenzy, "Hear what? Luna, we're the only two here…calm down."

"_Do not fall into despair, Luna."_ The voiced said, _"I will always be here with you."_

Luna's eyes widened as her pulse came to a standstill, "You don't hear him? Please don't tell me I've gone insane." She said as she shook her head, "This is so slagging weird...I swear I can hear…"

"Hear who?" Cheetor replied, "Unless you're talking to me or the cat, no one else is here."

Shocked, Luna muttered the name of the voice she now recognized within her subconscious, "I...I hear Optimus, my god….I sound insane don't I?"

"That's impossible Luna, Prime is dead…we can't breakdown like this Luna, we gotta try and overcome this down period." Cheetor said, unsure of what to make of Luna's behavior and claim.

"I'm not trying to have a breakdown, Cheetor!" Luna said, as she looked to him, her expression in fear and shock, "I swear to Cybertron that his voice is in my head, telling me not to be sad or something, and that's he's with me…"

"Did he also tell you to join your place in the circle of life?" Cheetor quipped, before being interrupted by the intercom system running through the silo base.

"All Autobot crew members report to sick bay immediately. That is all." Ratchet said in a swift manner, showing no emotion in his tone.

"C'mon Luna" Cheetor said softly, "That means us too."

"Weird timing for Ratchet." Luna remarked, as she wiped her eyes on her wrist, "Do I look like I just finished crying? I don't want the others to know."

"You look fine, Luna. C'mon, maybe Doc has good news?" Cheetor said back, as he transformed into a large mechanical cheetah, to offer a ride to the sick bay for Luna.

"Alright." Luna said, hesitating for a second before getting onto Cheetor's back, "Let's go, besides…this day couldn't get much worse could it?" Her eyes lowered, as Cheetor rushed out of her room, dashing towards the sick bay.

Inside the large medical quarters, the second home to Ratchet, the Autobots stand assembled around Ratchet, a Groundbridge swirling before them, as a large metallic casket lay cold and dormant between them.

"Autobots, assume your positions around the ceremonial casket" Ratchet announced, as he placed a hand onto the container, "Our Commander deserves a hero's burial."

Arcee and Bumblebee silently nodded and took their positions amongst the casket, Arcee intently watched as Cheetor and Luna entered the room, unsure of how the two would react to the ceremony.

Luna slowly got off of Cheetor's back, carefully approaching the metal container, "What….what are you guys doing?" She said, eyes beginning to tear up again.

"Tradition" Wheeljack said, not afraid to answer the question Luna brought up, "All of our fallen brothers get a burial; in respect and honor of their actions…it's to celebrate their life."

"B…B…Burial?" Luna said in a panicked shock, "No! Where is he being buried? Don't take him away! Please! _**PLEASE**_!"

Bulkhead and Bumblebee lowered their heads and moved to their positions as well, trying not to upset Luna further. Cheetor transformed and placed a metallic hand on Luna's shoulder, "It'll be alright" he said softly, "he's going to be buried at the location he loved most on Earth, he spent a lot of time thinking, it's where he got this..." Cheetor gently placed an emerald necklace into Luna's hands, "A very special friend of Optimus' gave him that y'know..it's one of him most cherished possessions."

Luna played with the necklace in her hands, as she examined it, only more questions came to mind, "Where is that…who gave him this necklace?" she said as her attention went back and forth between the casket, and the necklace in her hands, " Regardless…I..I can't have him leave for real.."

"He's going to be buried where I first met him, where an old friend of his gave him that necklace before they too passed away..he's going to be buried on Mount Kilimanjaro, one of Earth's most beautiful locations.." Cheetor said as he too moved alongside the casket, "Luna…we gotta do this".

Luna knelt down and hugged herself, her eyes widening and tears flowing as the emotional shock of the day's events overwealmed her, "No…he can't leave her, he can't…"

Cheetor looked to the other Autobots who gave him a silent nod, as he went to embrace Luna, "Hey, it's okay..you can visit him whenever you'd like" He said as the other Autobots carried the casket through the groundbridge, "It'll be alright, I promise, I'm here for you, Luna".

Luna looked up at Cheetor and sighed exhaustingly, "fine.." she muttered, "I just can't watch his burial…maybe we can visit later on.." She said as she rubbed the back of her head, a small sniffle in her nose, "It's too much right now.."

* * *

><p>On Kilimanjaro, the Autobots gather around the burial site, bowing their heads in respect.<p>

"Bulkhead, if you would please?" Ratchet politely asked, his optics closed as he slowly lets the loss hit him.

Bulkhead gently set the casket down and began to pour dirt over the glistening metallic red and blue the contained was adorned with, "Boss bot" Bulkhead said, as he continued to work, "It was an honor serving with you, even a greater honor then to serve as a Wrecker" As he saluted with a free hand.

Ratchet shook his head, his optics opening as he looked to the sun setting on the Savannah Horizon, "Optimus, we shall see you again, when all are one" The medic said, as he saluted the casket before him.

The other Autobots followed his lead, saluting, and as one, crying out to the heavens above, "Till all are One".


	19. Chapter 19

As the Autobots continue to mourn their fallen commander, a sleek, dark, figure observes the ceremony atop an elevated ridge, out of sight from the bots below, carefully observing, and waiting.

"Autobots…" Ratchet sadly said, his eyes looked down at the ground, unable to deal with the expressions of grief he'd be force to see if he looked up, "Let's go home...We have a lot of work to attend too. We shall leave Optimus here, buried on this grand mountain, as tribute to his legacy. Now, let's live on in his memory, Optimus would want us to stay strong for our cause." Ratchet remotely opened the ground bridge, letting the others pass through before him.

As the last bot, Bumblebee, went through, Ratchet could not help but look back, staring at the burial mound where Optimus now rested, a small tear of energon slid down his faceplate.

Bringing a hand to his faceplate, he wiped the small tear off, "Must be a malfunction..." Ratchet said, as he stepped through the portal, returning to his home.

From the ridge overlooking the burial site stood a sleek, dark mechanical being. Soundwave, as his cold calculating eyes scanned the area, waiting for something to happen. Like a vast, predatory bird, Starscream swooped down from the heavens, transforming in mid-air to land directly next to Soundwave in robot mode, a sliver of dark energon clenched in his metallic talons.

Soundwave's vocal processors manipulated the sounds he had overheard, speaking to Starscream in the recorded voice of Ratchet, "We shall leave Optimus here, buried on this grand mountain, as tribute to his legacy." Soundwave regurgitated, as a twisted smile spread across Starscream's face.

"A legacy, which will end with the destruction, of his own Autobots!" Starscream triumphantly announced, as he pointed a hooked figure at Soundwave, "Now, activated that...minicon you use, the digging one!"

Soundwave's back plate ejected from his body, shifting its panels and mass to form a small humanoid robot, "Rumble, Eject, Operation: Gravedigger." Soundwave called out, now speaking in his own voice.

The small driller drone began burrowing through the earth, excavating the area Optimus now rests at. "You actually named it?" Starscream asked as the small drone began to pull on the casket, "And really, Rumble?" Starscream quipped, looking down at the small blue robot, "Looks more like a Frenzy to me."

Soundwave shot Starscream an unamused look, before grasping hold of the handle on the casket, dragging it up to the surface. Pushing Soundwave aside, Starscream gazed happily at the casket, embroiled with the Autobot insignia.

"If _**ANY**_ Decepticon is to bring Optimus to our side, it shall be the future Leader of the Decepticons!" Starscream echoed out, as he ripped off the lip of the sacred burial casket, revealing the monochrome body of the Autobot Commander.

Gripping the shard in his hand tighter than before, Starscream raised his hand up to the skies, eyes fixated on Optimus as Soundwave observed the event, "At long last, Optimus Prime, shall be at my command!" Starscream cries as his hand lunges down, piercing the purple shard of corrupted energon into the chest of Optimus Prime.

A dark transformation slowly took place as the shard dissolved into Prime's body, his circuitry glowing a sinister shade of purple, as his veins were filled with the corrupted energy of Unicron, the destroyer. The Autobots believed the day Optimus returned to them would be a joyous day, but the eyes of Optimus Prime, now opened, showed no sign of the bot they knew and respected, instead, his eyes were that of a beast, chaotic, savage, and berserk.

Starscream watched on with an evil smile on his face, "Now, with Optimus as our slave, he can give us the one thing Megatron could not, the one thing, we have searched for, and hunted, for so long now!" Starscream echoed, as Soundwave eerily raised his hand, a long slender finger directing Starscream's optics.

Optimus was berserk, unleashing his power on the area around them, destroying what precious beauty resided there, until it was all but a pile of rubble. "Ah, well…" Starscream replied, "It might be a bit more difficult to convince the Autobots of his return, but nevertheless, our plan will be carried out, and the troops shall see me for the military genius that I am."

Above them a black shadow loomed, as it breached through the clouds, the Nemesis, command ship of the Decepticon armada, hovered overhead, as Starscream and Soundwave transformed and took flight, returning to their ship, to prepare for their endgame.

Back at the Autobot base, the crew went with plans as usual, trying to return to their work, despite the loss of Optimus Prime. In her room, Luna and Cheetor sat across from one another, each one holding a hand of five playing cards, the silence in the room was eerie as both players set their hands down simultaneously, "**HA**!" Luna exclaimed, trying to contain her glee, "I beat you _again_, Freckles! C'mon, you owe me a lot of goods now!" she crossed her arms, staring at Cheetor in demand for her winnings.

"Fine, _fine_, here already!" Cheetor quipped, annoyed with his luck, "I hope you get cavities you card shark!" with that Cheetor dropped a handful of assorted candies and chocolates onto the table, as Luna scooped them up and dragged them to her side of the table.

Luna grinned and popped a small jawbreaker into her mouth, "Hey, don't give me that look, it's not like you could even eat these to begin with!" She remarked, trying to portray how good the candy tasted, just to rub the face he couldn't have any in.

"Remind me the next time I try to cheer you up… **NOT TO**!" Cheetor yelled, clearly agitated by the situation.

Grinning, Luna shuffled the cards again and looked over to Cheetor, who was now leaning on his one arm, pouting like a sore loser, "Hey, Cheetor, mind if I ask a question?" She politely asked.

Cheetor rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, "Toss me a Yum-Yum bar and then you can."

Tossing over the sugary treat, Luna replied, "How exactly did that Savage Claw thing work back on the Nemesis? I mean, it was cool and all," Luna cut short so she could deal the cards to Cheetor and herself, "but maybe if I understood it more, we could use it better. Know what I mean?"

Looking down at his cards, Cheetor's eyes narrowed, and replied, "It's not really that hard to use y'know." He said, as he secretly engaged a psychic link he and Luna now shared, revealing her poker hand to him, "It's just hard to understand, see, all I have to do is use an access code, and then, _**BAM**_, we're combined." He went all in with his hand, knowing Luna had nothing.

"But how does it work exactly?" Luna replied, as she looked at Cheetor's call with skepticism, "C'mon, you gotta know something, I mean, who gave you this combining tech thing anyway?"

Cheetor grinned as he laid down his hand, three Kings, "Ratchet did, he said it was just an ancient combiner core he had laying around, the only explanation I got was that you input the access codes of two or more cybertronians into the core, modify their bodies a bit, and then you can use the tech to combine." Cheetor explained, "After that, he just kicked me out, and told me not to use the core unless I needed too, since the core is older, it could malfunction more easily."

Luna frowned and tossed her cards down on the table, a pair of twos, and Cheetor collected his prize, "Wait a second..." Luna said, her arm transforming into an Ion cannon, "We had a psychic link during the battle didn't we? You were in my head, and…..oh no- _**PRIMUS**_!" She yelled, aiming her blaster at him, "You cheated _didn't_ you!"

"Cheating is a strong word, Luna." Cheetor replied, trying to calm her down, "I prefer to think of it as…stacking your odds."

"**THAT'S THE SAME AS CHEATING YOU IDIOT**!" Luna yelled once more, firing her gun at Cheetor, blowing a hole into his seat as he ducked down.

Throughout the base the intercom systems switched on, the voice of Ratchet emanating from the speakers, "All Autobots to the Central commander center, this is _urgent_ and _mandatory_, **DOUBLE TIME**!" He spoke, the intercoms switching off shortly after the last word was spoken.

Luna's eyes narrowed at Cheetor as her hand switched back to its original form, "Aww, too bad, I was having fun too" She groaned, shooting Cheetor an evil look as the two of them headed for the command center.

All of the Autobots had gathered together before Luna could arrive.

"C'mon doc, this is out recharging time what could possibly be so important that you'd wake us all up?" Bulkhead asked, as he rubbed his optics.

Ratchet walked towards Bulkhead, his smaller size not deterring him from getting into Bulkhead's face. "How about a vocal signal, and pick up coordinates from _**Optimus Prime**_. Is that _important enough_ Bulkhead?" Ratchet replied, clearly on edge from the recent revelation. The rest of the Autobots were left either speechless, or conflicted about the news.

Luna eyes however were wide, a small grin spread across her face, "Prime is back?" She happily spoke, punching Cheetor's shoulder, "I _**TOLD**_ you he could come back, and you thought he was gone for good!" She then proceeded to do a small victory dance around Cheetor, ecstatic about the news.

Cheetor's views were less joyous then Luna's, his face was completely serious, as he knew the risks that were involved with something like this, "Ratchet, can you play the broadcast for us please?' He asked, as Ratchet, without word, turned around to the main computer hub, and played the transmission he received.

Optimus' voice rang out through the room, some grew more confident in their belief of this transmission, others, only grew more skeptical, "This is Optimus Prime, Ratchet, if you are listening, I need an immediate ground bridge evac at coordinates 94.1248.993, at quadrant Tryti, situation dire, please respond urgently." And with that, the transmission ended.

"His voice sounded a tad off…like it was more _monotone _than usual." Luna said, her initial joy turned to conflict, "Please don't tell me no one else heard that."

Bulkhead stepped forward with his argument, "It definitely sounds like Prime, he's in 'Con territory after all, of course he'll sound different, it's probably some interference. We've had similar incidents back with the Wreckers too, I say we check it out."

"Yeah, but Bulk," Wheeljack replied, "how many of those times ended up being traps?" He said, shaking his head, "Listen, Bulk, we gotta think this through. I'm all for storming into fights, but this is Optimus we're talking about, it's a big risk for a guy we just buried."

Luna raised her hand and the Autobots turned to her to listen, Luna turned to Cheetor first, "You said there was no way he could come back, so, how would he be able to if he was dead?" She looked at him intensely, wanting an answer to an unanswerable question.

All eyes were on Cheetor, until Ratchet broke the silence, "Truth is Luna, there is no logical answer for his revival, the vocals synch up perfectly with his recorded Data Logs, however." Ratchet said, as he pointed his finger at the Autobots around him, "If there was a shred of a chance Optimus Prime was alive, who here can honestly say they would not take that chance? Go ahead; make your opinions know, because I for one am sick of leaving loved ones to die!" Ratchet said, the Autobots left dazed by his unusual emotional response.

Luna was the first of the team to let her opinion be known, "But…it's just not right, I mean, he died, I saw him, and you said there's no way for him to come back…besides, didn't you check him over before burying him?"

"Kid's got a point, Ratchet." Arcee replied, "We all made sure he was gone before burying him, you triple checked everything too. I really don't trust this message."

Bulkhead stomped his foot and spoke up, "If it was Cliffjumper who sent that message you'd be gung ho for a rescue though!" he shouted in frustration, "If we would risk it all to recover one bot, we should risk it all to recover any of our lost or fallen comrades!"

Arcee hung her head down, deep in thought, and in pain, as the old wounds of Cliffjumper's death were opened once more.

Ratchet stepped in the middle of the room, the Autobot's optics all on him, "We shall do this democratically, show of hands, who does not wish to respond to this transmission?" he replied.

Arcee, Luna, Ratchet and Bulkhead each raised their hands.

Bumblebee, out of fear of another betrayal, like Raf's, keeps his hand down. For their own reasons, Wheeljack and Cheetor kept there's down.

"The vote is decided then." Ratchet announced as he moved to the Ground Bridge controls, typing in the coordinates transmitted in the message, "We'll begin ground bridge launch immediately, Bulkhead, Arcee, we'll need you to go through first, to check the area."

The two Autobots nodded as Luna rubbed the back of her neck, "This…doesn't feel right…" She spoke, as she looked on as the spiraling dimension portal erupted into view, a link between the two locations connected now.

As the bridge opened, a single figure appears from the other side, as it enters the base, it looks at each Autobot individually, showing notice of them all.

In the light stood a valiant figure, Optimus Prime, his red and blue metallic structure shimmering in the light of the ground bridge, "It is good to be home, thank you for the swift rescue, old friend." Optimus said, looking to Ratchet.

Luna's eyes were wide, staring in awe as she ran over, hugging the leg of the thought-to-be-lost commander of the Autobots, "Prime…seriously….is it _you_?" Tears rolled fast down her cheeks.

"Yes Luna." Optimus replied, I have returned,

"**DON'T **_**EVER**_** TURN YOUR BACK AWAY FROM MEGATRON **_**AGAIN**_!" She yelled, as tears of joy rolled down while she hugged his foot tightly.

Optimus remained eerily silent, his soft smile turned to a blank expression, as Luna looked up, unable to foresee the events coming. Another figure strolled into view from the Groundbridge, a sleek mass of purple and black, Soundwave, as he stood beside Optimus Prime.

"Ratchet, if you are listening, I need an immediate ground bridge evac at coordinates 94.1248.993, at quadrant Tryti, situation dire, please respond urgently." Soundwave emitted, copying Prime's voice just to taunt the Autobots.

Soundwave removed a small device from Prime's back, with the removal of the electronic paint emitter, the valiant reds and blues on Prime's body quickly dissolved, Prime now stood in monochrome black and grey, his body littered with damage and sparking fuses, as his expression was that of a horrific monster. Luna recoiled in shock, as her tears of joy shifted to tears of devastation, as her hero, her father figure, stood before her, defiled, as an undead pawn of the twisted Decepticons.

Ratchet was the first to respond to this imminent threat, "_**DECEPTICON ATTACK**_! Arm the Defenses!" He cried out, as he extended an arm towards the bridge controls, in hopes of cutting off the attack.

From the ground bridge roared a single missile, as it darted towards Ratchet. Detonating against Ratchet's arm, blowing it and the control panel to scrap metal as he and the shattered components of his arm fell to the ground. As he gripped the stump of his arm in pain, Ratchet looked up, seeing a third figure emerge, Starscream.

"Now, we wouldn't want to end the party so soon, _would we_?" Starscream mocked, laughing manically as a full battalion of Vehicons appears behind him, each one readying their weapons as they take aim at the Autobots, "Decepticons, begin our assault!"

The roar of laser fire filled the air.


	20. Chapter 20

Eyes widening, Luna let go of Optimus Prime and recoiled backwards, looking back in horror as the hollow shell of Prime glared at her with soulless purple eyes.

"How could I have trusted that?" Luna exclaimed as she ran back to Cheetor, her mind rushing in paranoia.

Luna shifted her eyes to see Ratchet's shattered arm lying dormant on the floor.

"Oh god…"

A full battalion of Vehicon soldiers made their way through the Ground Bridge, one by one, flooding the command center with their mass.

"Oh_ slaaaaaag_!" Luna cried, as her body went through metamorphosis, shiny metal plating covering her body in a think, Cybertronian armor.

A flurry of Polarized Ion blasts streamed across the room. Bulkhead stood before the hoard of Decepticons, his twin cannons pelting numerous Vehicons left and right.

"It...It's no use!" Bulkhead yelled as more Vehicon soldiers entered just as quickly as others fell. "Ten more come out for every one I shoot!"

"That's it." Wheeljack called out as he unsheathed his twin cytrax blades, dashing forward with surprising agility and grace as he sliced through con after con. "Computer!" Wheeljack called out "Activate all internal Auto-guns, Emergency level: **PRIME**, target all Decepticon energy signatures!"

The room began to shake as if the very ground below them was rattling, but from the panels lining the walls of the Autobot command center, sprouted dozens of Automatic turrets, their barrels locked onto the invading Decepticon forces. With a cool, collected smirk, Starscream stepped forward, showing no fear for the heavy firepower aimed at him.

"Soundwave, would you be so kind?" Starscream spoke calmly, waving his hand casually.

Suddenly, Wheeljack's voice filled the air once more. "Computer" Soundwave said, imitating the voice of Wheeljack.

The real Wheeljack's eyes widened, in fear his prediction was correct.

"Activate all internal Auto-guns, Emergency level: **PRIME**, target all…" A pause. "**AUTOBOT** energy signatures."

Wheeljack's heart would have sunk if he had one, as he watched his devices shift position, aiming their firepower directly at the sparks of the Autobots.

Bulkhead chuckled nervously. "Told you that voice recognition feature was a bad idea…almost as bad as giving primitive brains to..." The giant Autobot said, as he was cut off.

"_**NOT**_ a good time, Bulk" Wheeljack said, holding his swords in a defensive stance.

Luna narrowed her eyes at the cannons above, and then to Soundwave. "That has to be the con that did this to Optimus…" She quietly to herself.

The sound of the turrets preparing to fire filled the air, as an eerie stillness befell the two factions, neither making a move. That all suddenly changed.

"**RUN AND SHOOT**!" Luna cried, as she ran for the nearest hallway, turning her robotic arm behind her.

She fired blindly, but managed to take down a few Vehicons.

Bulkhead aimed his large cannons and shot pulse after pulse of energy at the cons, destroying them as they stand. "**FALLBACK**!" He cried, as he walked back towards the hallway. "**GET TO COVER**!"

The Autobots began to retreat, as Cheetor scooped up Luna and carried her to safety. Back to back, Bulkhead and Wheeljack fended off the on-coming waves of Vehicons as Arcee and Bumblebee helped up a wounded Ratchet, carrying the old medi-bot to cover.

"Wait!" Luna said loud enough to hear, as she looked back at Wheeljack and Bulkhead, "What about them? Shouldn't we go get them too?"

Arcee leaned out from cover to fire at a Vehicon, blasting its head clean off, "Luna, they're Wreckers, this is their element." Arcee said with a soft smile.

Luna tried to mimic Arcee's smile but couldn't bring herself to do it, after all that happened, how could she? Sparks flew as Bulkhead's backside skidded across the floor, rushing behind the cover of a wall alongside the others. The titanic Autobot peered from behind the fall, sticking his cannon out and fired on a group of Vehicon soldiers.

"C'mon Jackie, get out of there!" He murmured, as Wheeljack cleaved off the heads of three Vehicons in a single swipe of his swords.

Cheetor passed Luna off to Arcee for protection, his arms shifting into dual sniper rifles. "We need to make a break for the armory!" He cried, as he wildly fired upon the incoming hordes, "It's our only shot! We need to counter attack!"

Wheeljack raised his arm up and tossed a grenade down, a burst of thick black smoke bellowing out, and in with the cloak of darkness, Wheeljack slipped through, meeting up with the others as he caught his breath.

Luna glanced at Cheetor oddly, "But wouldn't they _**LEAD**_ the Decepticons to our armory?" She rejected with a hint of attitude.

Arcee placed the human down and walked in front of Luna, "Can't you just follow orders and _not_ backtalk us?" She said, hiding her panic as well.

Wheeljack picked himself up, exhausted as he breathed heavily, "The Armory...that's our only shot at taking them out." he said calmly, "Our tech isn't compatible with the internal structures of Decepticons, they won't be able to use it against us."

Ratchet lay quietly against the wall, holding his broken arm, "Not unless they have an Autobot energy signature with them, our tech is designed to only integrate with the signature of an Auto…"

He paused, his eyes widening in realization.

"Optimus…" Bulkhead breathed the first to realize the full extent of the Decepticon's plan.

Shaking her head, Luna spoke up, "But how could they revive him in the first place? It makes no sense!" Luna snapped her fingers and looked over to Ratchet, "Could it have anything to do with that purple stuff he's covered in?"

"Dark Energon" Ratchet said uneasily, "It's the anti-spark; it can bring a Cybertronian back from the dead…but destroys the core consciousness of those inflicted by it. Optimus…is nothing more than a Berserker, under the influence of Starscream."

"Well, when you say it like _that_." Arcee quipped.

Luna sat down, and looked in shock, "So…is there any way to change him back?" Luna said softly. "I mean, he's alive in a way right? So take away the bad stuff, and put in the good, or…is it more complicated than that?" Luna hugged her knees.

"Sadly there has yet to be a cure found, or a method of reversing the effects, the only choice is." Ratchet looked down, his hand shifting to a small scalpel. "We will have to...put Optimus down"

Eyes wide in shock, Luna stood up swiftly and pointed at Ratchet, "**NO**!" Luna cried, "You aren't getting it _are_ you? What if someone else was being used by this Dark Energon stuff? Wouldn't you want a cure for it? We should catch Prime and…test on him, find a cure! We can't just abandon him! If we can't find a cure, then we can at least say we tried!"

Arcee shook her head in frustration, "You don't know what you're saying-"

"**YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING**!" Luna shouted, "I'm trying to help everyone here, but _no_! You just want to shoot things to scrap! You don't care about Prime at all do you?" Her arm shifts into a gun out of anger.

A large mace crashed down in front of Luna in frustration, "**AND YOU DON'T REALIZE WE'VE TRIED THIS ALREADY**?" Bulkhead screamed as he glared at Luna, "We've tried to find a cure, and do you know what happened as a result? We watched friends die horrible deaths, as they were prodded and dissected, such a dishonor to our brothers..." Bulkhead paused, his eye showing the torment of the visions he was recollecting, "**I**.**WILL**.**NOT**.**DO**.**THAT**.**TO**.**PRIME**!" He shouted, towering over Luna, "**GOT IT**?"

In a swift motion Wheeljack stood up, slipping between Bulkhead and Luna, "Easy, Bulk" Wheeljack said, "I know you took Ironfist's death hard back on Cybertron, but right now we have a base full of cons, and scaring Luna and having meltdowns isn't going to help us much."

Luna sighed and looked over at Wheelack, "So, we're going to the Armory right?" She looked down at her feet.

"The easiest way to the Armory is to go through the central elevator." Wheeljack said to himself, "But knowing the cons, they have the lifts guarded. So we'd have to take the stairs."

Bulkhead's eyes looked towards the hallway, "But isn't the armory..." He looked down the stairway, "fifty miles below us?"

Cracking her knuckles, Luna stood before the beginning of the spiraling stairway, "Better get going then." She said calmly, as Cheetor and Arcee gave her a concerned look.

"The kid is right." Wheeljack muttered He and Bulkhead shifted their forms, converting into vehicles. "It'll be a rough ride, but it'll still be the fastest ride down."

The large green truck spoke out, "Bumblebee, Arcee, you stay with Ratchet, try to get him somewhere safe to hide while we go for supplies, got it?" Bulkhead said, the two bots nodding in agreement to his command.

Luna looked in jealousy at the two Wrecker's vehicle modes, "At times like these, I wish I was a full Autobot." She said, as she slowly hopped down the large steps.

Cheetor's ears perked up and a smile spread over his face, "Y'know, we might have something to help with that." he said as he rushed through the hallways, dodging Vehicons left and right. Shortly later, he returned with a large metallic case, with the symbol of Prime on the lid. "Prime's welcoming gift for you..." Cheetor spoke softly, "He told me to hold onto it for you, for a special occasion….I don't think he meant for this to be that moment, but...I think now's a good time."

Cheetor opened the case before Luna's eyes, a glistening shine of the polished metal inside gleaming in the light. Inside the case lay a silver Jetwing pack, with blue and red details as well as flame decals to mirror Prime's designs.

"**SWEET**!" Luna said happily, taking the jetpack and placing it onto her back, "I don't know how to work it, but it shouldn't be too hard right?" She said, looking nervously at the controls.

Cheetor turned swiftly, ears perked up, "Well let's hope you learn them quick, I think we're about to have some company!" Cheetor announced as a commotion approached, "Alright Autoots, let's do this!"

The robot form of Cheetor shifted, into a sleek jungle cat. Alongside Bulkhead and Wheeljack, Cheetor leaped out in a burst of speed, traveling down the stairway as Bulkhead and Wheeljack followed. Luna nodded and flipped the switch on the jetpack on, the turbines kicking on as she hovered above the ground.

"Alright, game time..." Luna said, as she leaned forward, the turbines roaring as she raced through the air, spiraling down alongside the other Autobots.

They were not alone.

Roaring from above, Starscream and a battalion of Jet-Vehicons appeared behind the team, "Ah, you Autobots are all too predictable." Starscream quipped, as his rockets tried to lock on to Bulkhead. His attention shifted to Luna however, amused by her Jetwing modification. "A flying _pet_?" Starscream sneered, "Do you realize you are dealing with an _**AIR COMMANDER**_** HERE**?"

Starscream's engines roared furiously as he fired a barrage of burst of machine gun fire at the Autobots, "You will _not_ get away that easily!"

"**SLAG**!" Luna yelped, as a few round of fire barely missed her, "Okay….please let this work!" Luna turned around and shot back, her arm firing concussion bursts at the Decepticon battle fleet, knocking one Vehicon flier offline before spinning back around; barely regaining stability. "Well…that wasn't so smart..." Luna groaned, trying to think straight, her head feeling slightly dizzy as she dodged more incoming fire.

"_**EEP**_!"

"Do you _really _think you can out fly _Lord _Starscream?" Starscream bellowed in annoyance, his rockets getting a rush of high powered rocket fuel, propelling him faster through the air. Twin rockets released from Starscream's wing panels, launching forward towards the group of 'bots. "Soundwave!" Starscream said via the com-link, "Take a full battalion of soldiers and Optimus down to the lower levels, and be prepared to spring the trap on my command!"

"Bulk! Cheetor! Look out!" Luna yelled as she swerved to avoid the nearest missile, feeling Starscream gaining on her. "Guys, is there anything you can do to…Get this chicken off my aft!" Luna panicked, as Starscream, the aerial reaper, drew closer.

"Rule one of 'Con bashing, Luna" Wheeljack said as his trunk popped open, a pair of small remote sentry guns hovering out, firing small pulses of energy at Starscream, keeping him a further distance from Luna, "Always come prepared."

"Only twenty more feet to go!" Bulkhead exclaimed, "Stay in tight formation everybody, this is the final lap!"

Luna rolled her eyes and smirked, "Wow, this was a Formation?" She said to herself.

Cheetor looked up at Luna, trying to maintain control over his rising speed, "Luna!" He shouted, use the mini-guns built into your wings! C'mon, make use of your firepower!" Cheetor leaped out of the way as one of Starscream's missiles collided with the stairway, blasting a hole clean through.

"How the _slag_ do I do that?" Luna nervously asked, trying to find the commands for the new weapons. Luna pressed buttons randomly until a command stick appeared for each of her hands, a mini-gun forming on each wing."Now this is what I'm talking about!"

The mini-guns spun around, taking aim as they let loose a stream of high powered bursts of bullets.

"**INFERNAL CHILD**!" Starscream yelled as he was hit by a barrage of mini-gun fire, transforming into robot form and crashing onto the stairway, dodging further fire. "No matter." Starscream said with a sick smile, dusting himself off on the stairway, "Soundwave is sure to greet them once they've reached their Armory, and then….they'll have nowhere to run."

Bulkhead hit the brakes hard, barely missing the large detailed doors of the Armory, as he transformed into the towering robotic form. "Well, this is it, everything we need for an Autobot counter attack, just gotta knock."

Landing with all the grace she could, Luna set her feet on the ground, her mechanical wings folding up as she looked up at the great doors, "I don't know…it seemed too easy getting down here, I mean, just five cons, and Starscream? And they just gave up that easily?"

"Kids' got a point." Wheeljack said as he shifted form, "It's not like them to just let us get to our toys without much of a fight." He said as he drew his twin swords."I'm no stranger to risks, but I say we bust in there and show them who's boss!"

Luna smiled softly, her arm converting into a gun and the mini-guns on her back tilting forward to aim over her shoulders, "Just tell me where to shoot, Wheeljack!"

The grand doors to the Autobot Armory swung open, nearly throwing Bulkhead off his feet. In the doorway stood the corrupted husk of Optimus Prime, completely engulfed in an aura of fiendish light, his back and arms loaded with guns of various kinds and builds.

Luna stepped back in fear as the other Autobots looked at the looming threat of their old commander, "Oh crap…" Luna breathed as both Luna and Cheetor raised their weapons up at Optimus. "I really hate to do this…" Luna said to herself.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Arcee had managed to move to cover by holding their position in Luna's room, the thick metal walls containing all sound, and providing suitable protection against the Vehicons outside.<p>

"Arcee, I don't think we're going to make it...the numbers are far too great." Ratchet said sadly, his optics drained of any hope they may have once had.

Attempting to repair Ratchet's arm, Arcee glared at the old medic, "Don't talk like that, we're going to make it. Now, what do I clip this thing into?" She asked

Ratchet rolled his eyes, "Connect it to the Uliberium connection port above the servo nerve branch, it's basic field repair procedure!"

Bumblebee paced around the room, uneasy about the threat outside.

"Bee, relax." Arcee said, looking over at the bot she called "Family", "I doubt Raf is out there…and even if he was, you know he's not the same person, you can't keep blaming yourself."

Bumblebee looked away and sat by himself, saddened.

"Arcee," Ratchet said as he poked at the wires in his severed arm, "If we are going to die, I cannot in good conscious keep this secret from you and Bumblebee any longer…"

Back at the Armory doors, Luna's arm began to surround itself in a flowing white Aura of energy.

Luna looked down at her arm, "What the slag is going on?"

"What the pit are you blabbering about?" Arcee asked as she narrowed her eyes, "You're not going to die, your arm blew up, and it just needs repairs."

"Listen to me!" Ratchet snapped, "I lied before...under secrecy of Optimus himself, truth is, he did find a way to counteract the effects of Dark Energon, a very risky way, but a way nonetheless." The medic looked away, not wanting to see the faces of his comrades.

Luna's arm began to glow brighter, as the corrupted Optimus Prime stepped backwards, blinded by the light, "Cheetor! Help, what is going on?" she screamed as she shielded her eyes.

Arcee continued to work on Ratchet's arm, now with a small scowl on her face, "You nearly scared the slag out of Luna just so you could _lie_ to the girl? Ratchet, I would hurt you right now, but you can't fix the ground bridge with two broken arms!"

"She couldn't know!" Ratchet said, "Optimus made me swear to it, if she knew, it would only make her take more risks then necessary." The medic pushed Arcee's hand aside, "Stop fussing with that, just listen!"

Arcee stared into Ratchet's eyes and nodded.

"Arcee, isn't it odd, that a sixteen-year-old girl, a regular human being, can suddenly achieve things only veteran Autobot soldiers can accomplish?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah, I suppose so. She's gifted, so what? What are you getting at Ratchet? You know more then you're letting on aren't you?"

Ratchet chuckled under his breath, "I do." He spoke as he placed his severed hand on the floor as he stood up, "That Operation I performed on Luna was not as it seemed. Building a replacement arm for a human being is simple, however…"

A voice called out from Luna's arm, as the white aura engulfed her in a cloak of blinding white light. Her eyes widened in shock and in recognition. She stopped struggling and tried listening to the voice.

"The difficult part was this." Ratchet said, his face completely stern and serious, "Optimus had me split his spark in two."

Arcee looked in shock as she tried to take it all in.

"Prime's life force, his soul, his remaining being, resides in the container we designed for it." Ratchet continued.

"Luna's hand."


	21. Chapter 21

Ratchet shut his eyes as he began to unfold the tale, "Not long after his memory loss, Prime took precautions to keep his spark _away_ from the clutches of darkness, whether by corruption or misleading, he checked everything, to be sure he could not be used against his friends."

Arcee couldn't help but stir as she took this all in, "Wait, so you're telling me Prime, in secret, altered things so he couldn't be taken over, and he felt like it was alright for no one to know this? Well…except _you_, right?"

"Yes, he did. Prime had nearly completed his goal, but one final labor stood before him; the dark energon corruption. Prime figured out, that dark energon only can corrupt a sparkless shell, but should a spark enter a corrupted body, if strong enough, can cast out the dark energon, and _revive_ the body…however, if too weak, the spark will be corrupted itself."

Ratchet sat slumped over, waiting to hear a reaction. For awhile, Arcee didn't give one. Moments passed and Arcee spoke up.

"So, you're saying that Luna, that _**mouthy**_ redhead, is the only one who can bring Optimus back? And if she fails, Optimus will be extinguished. For good. Am I missing something?"

"Luna can transfer the spark of Optimus into his body, if she's close enough, but her arm has to be connected directly into his spark chamber during the transfer." Ratchet paused for a moment, conflicted to speak the coming words.

"Wait, hold on-" Arcee rubbed her eyes, but Ratchet offered her no chance to continue on.

"-During the internal battle within Optimus' body, if he cannot regain control…the backlash of energy will eradicate Luna as well." Ratchet finished, knowing what he had sent Luna into.

"So it's all a gamble, if she survives…" Arcee curled her fingers into a fist and punched the wall Ratchet now leaned against. "Ratchet! Maybe this is something you should have _**TOLD**_ her before you sent off fighting the entire Decepticon Armada! She could _kill_ Optimus instead of cure him! She could kill herself!"

"I know, I know. I did not wish to go through with this, but Optimus insisted, under orders."

"I suggest we go find Luna, before she does something _stupid_." Arcee slung Ratchet over her, slowly carrying him down the flights of steps, using her free hand to fire upon Vehicons in the halls.

* * *

><p>Luna stood between the corrupted Optimus Prime and the Autobots he once called brothers, her eyes filling with white light as the aura lifted her up in the air.<p>

"What…who…who's there?" Luna called out, her mind in a transcendent realm of existence within her. "Don't mess with me! I will kick your _slagging_ aft!"

The spark of Optimus Prime appeared before her, as its commanding voice spoke through Luna's mind. Afraid of this unknown, Luna shook in fear as she listened in uncertainty.

"_Luna_." Optimus called out, "_Place you hand into the spark chamber that housed my being_. _Release the power you have always had_, _fulfill your potential_."

"But Optimus-! That makes no _**sense**_! How-what will that-" Luna's eyes returned to normal as she sighed to herself, "Alright."

The engines of the jetwing boosters she still wore whipped up, roaring in a glorious burst of flames and steel as it propelled the small human forward in a blinding flash of light.

"**AUTOBOTS**!" Luna cried as she pulled her metallic arm back, a tightly formed fist thrusting forward as she charged towards the dark Optimus. "**TRANSFORM AND TRANSEND**!"

Luna pierced her fist into the chest of Optimus, his arms struggling in the air as the white aura surrounding Luna flowed over Optimus' body.

"_Please_ let this work." Luna whispered.

Luna's eyes filled with white light once more as both her and Optimus' body stood, in silent conflict, as the spark of Optimus combated the darkness inside. Behind Optimus, an onslaught was launched, Vehicons swarming out from the Armory, charging out towards the group and Luna.

Cheetor was the first to blast the head of a Vehicon, a collective smirk across his face, "C'mon bots! We need to protect Luna, I have no idea what she's doing, but let's hope it's something that won't slag us all!"

Wheeljack whirled onto the battlefield, slicing through con after con, keeping the path to Luna clear. "Bulk, Cheetor, don't let a single one through!"

Bulkhead laughed as he barreled through, now standing between the Armory doors, crashing his spiked Cybertronian mace into the coming Vehicon fighters, "Wouldn't think of it Jackie! **HAHA**, just like the Battle on Simfur!"

The battle went on for nearly twenty minutes, more Vehicons descending from the internal Armory elevator, leaving no time for the strong spirited Autobots to rest. Wheeljack knelt with one of his swords pierced into the ground, his body sparking with wounds as the others collapsed near him, their bodies battered and broken, as the Vehicon horde marched upon them, weapons poised to kill.

A surge of white light engulfed Optimus' body as Luna grit her teeth, eyes wide open now, "Don't…you _**DARE**_….leave me again!" Luna pushed her arm deeper into the Spark Chamber of Optimus, as if to offer part of herself to revive him.

In an explosion of chaos and energon, purple and white auras of energy spiraled out of control as both Autobot and Vehicon stared at the scene in disbelief. Luna shot out from Optimus' body, falling to the ground, unconscious with no signs of life. The body of Optimus skidding across the metal ground, lying dormant next to her.

Silence.

A Vehicon stepped forward as Bulkhead reached up helplessly to stop him.

It's arm shifted to form a dark triangular blaster, standing stories above Luna as it aimed downwards.

And fired.


	22. Chapter 22

A gleaming silver blade pierced through the very heart of the Vehicon towering over Luna, it's body sparking and cracking, as it fell back. Offline. The other troopers behind the now deceased Vehicon raised their weapons defensivley, as they knew the odds of the battle has taken a drastic turn.

"You come into our home, with hostile intent," Optimus Prime stood up triumphantly, his metallic sword pointed at the stunned Vehicon soldiers. His second hand shifted form into a blazing battle axe, it's orange color and vibrant textures giving it the illusion of being composed of molten fire. The battle mask of Optimus fell down over his mouth, "You shall threaten our peace **no more**!"

The double bladed battle axe of Optimus Prime swung out, cutting into the torsos of no less then five Vehicons in it's single swipe. Like a blur of red and blue, Optimus' blades shredded the small battalion of Decepticons, until none stood before him.

Back up top, Arcee scowled at Ratchet and rubbed her optics in annoyance, _"How could they kept that information to themselves?"_ she thought, _"And how could they just __**leave**__ her down there like that?"_

"If you're not going, then _**I am**_, Ratchet!" In the blink of an eye she transformed, shifting into her sleek sapphire motorcycle form and raced out towards the spiralling stairway to the Armory.

Watching his "sister" depart, Bumblebee let out a low buzz from his vocal processors, looking down at Ratchet helping him stand as the yellow scout, let despair slowly slip in.

* * *

><p>Down before the doors of the Armory, Optimus Prime knelt down before the unconscious body of Luna, she remained unresponsive after the blast of energy that resulted in Prime's revival.<p>

"Luna, are you all right?" Optimus moved to nudge her gently but receeded his hand, in fear of harming her worse. His body still remained dented and damaged, but, as a true Prime, it was the well being of others that took priority over himself.

Groaning, and eyes slowly opening, Luna came to.

"Dammit Prime," Luna muttered, her hand rubbing against her forehead, "Stay out of my head will ya?"

At that time Arcee appeared on the scene, her tires screeching to a hault as she transformed and skidded across the metal floor in a blaze of speed and sparks, "Where is Luna, is she-"

Arcee did a double take, seeing both Luna, and Optimus Prime, together, and alive, "You two are both fine.. Silly me." She rolled her eyes and walked towards the group, stepping over a slain Vehicon, still trying to make sense of what had happened here.

Steadily approaching Optimus, Bulkhead knew it was too early for jokes and celebration, the base was still vulnerable, and if Megatron were to make an apperance, it would be over for good, "Sir, _Optimus_, it's good to have you back but…our situation is still pretty bad, we have an open Groundbridge with no way to shut it off, not to mention a flood of cons coming to kick our skids!"

At that moment a fresh batch of Vehicon Soldiers descended down from the Armory Elevator, rushing out towards the doors as their fired wildly at the Autobots outside.

"If everyone is done with the _chit-chat_, we have work to do!" Wheeljack called out as he drew a pair of Energon pulse cannons from his hands, firing with lethal accuracy at the Vehicon soldiers.

Luna shook her head and composed herself, her body still weak from the ordeal she went through, but now wasn't a time for weakness, she wouldn't allow another friend to be lost today or anytime soon. She was Luna Carvaline, and nobody was going to stop her, not today.

"You know the drill you guys!" She called out triumphantly, her body encasing itself in red battle armor that extended out from her arm, "You tell me where to shoot, and we'll take them all _**down**_!"

Optimus raised his hand, and everyone immediatly took notice, even headstrong Luna, "No, to use forceful attack in a situation like this is only a waste of our efforts, they can send more troops with ease, and our energon rounds will be depleted before they run out of soldiers."

The team took Prime's in with great respect and consideration as Optimus shifted his hands into his signature weapon, the dual Ion Blasters, "Autobots, our objective is to close off the Groundbridge connection between our two bases."

Once Prime was done, Luna looked around and looked confused, "Hey, wait, where are Ratchet and Bumblebee?"She looked up at Arcee, expecting an explanation.

"They're up top, don't worry kid, their safe." Arcee smiled, hoping to reassure the young recruit that her friends were all fine.

"Weren't _**YOU**_ suppose to be guarding them too? Ratchet is hurt and...and…" Luna's mind was overheating in a sudden rush, she had just lost Optimus once, and she did not feel like losing more friends today, especially if she could have done something to save them.

"Why did you come here? We're _fine_! Go be with Ratchet and Bee!"

"I came to..." Arcee shook her head and groaned, "Forget it, let's just get this thing done with, okay?"

Optimus and the others transformed into their vehicle modes and roared up the stairways, avoiding enemy laser fire as best they could. Eventually meeting up with Ratchet and Bumblebee on the upper levels.

"Prime, it's good to see you in good health." Ratchet said, smiling lightly despite the damage he has taken. The repairs to his arm were going well, but still left the old medic in disrepair.

"It is good to be back old friend." Optimus looked away as the others began preparing for the final assualt, "Pleasantries will have to wait Ratchet, what is the condition of the Groundbridge?"

A more serious expression spread over Ratchet's face, "Starscream is no fool, he has more then likely locked the system to keep the portal open. I fear, it cannot be closed from our side of the bridge."

"Then why don't we get someone to "_fix_" it?" Luna didn't like to take into consideration that something couldn't be done. If someone said no, it just meant that they didn't want it bad enough.

"_Right_, fix a complex dimensional portal under heavy enemy fire with less then adequate tools!"

Wheeljack said in frustration.

"I never said it was easy! I just said "fix it", and it was only a suggestion. So let's see, we have _how many_ bots here? And _how many_ bots qualified to kick ass, and _how many_ to fix a damn portal?" Luna argued, her hands on her hips, wondering when someone will begin listening to her.

Wheeljack drew his swords, both to prepare for battle, and to try and intimidate Luna into shutting up, "Remind me again why we put up with the kid? Her mom was never _**this**_ mouthy!"

"M-My mom?" Luna whispered; she blinked and tried to comprehend what she heard, as she went over to Cheetor, staring into his eyes, "You will explain a _**whole lot**_ later when we aren't about to get slagged." Luna shifted her hand into it's blaster configuration, waiting for the command to begin the last stand.

"Prime, you and the others will have to cover me while I work on the bridge. Ratchet is in no condition to be working on this." Wheeljack stood in front of the door, his eyes narrowing as he grips his blades.

Cheetor smiled and placed his hand on Luna's shoulder, "Time to give the Cons the **Savage Claw Mode** special?"

Luna and Cheetor nodded in unison, Cheetor's body broke apart, it's metal fragments latching onto the crimson armor adorning Luna's body. A pair of golden claws mounted onto each of her wrists.

"**Ready**!" Luna and Cheetor's voices mixed to form a new voice for her new form.

Optimus' arms retracted back, an Ion Blaster forming in one hand as the other formed a razor sharp metallic sword. It was a great sight to behold, and rarely did the Autobots see Optimus in such a battle ready state of mind, but the Decepticons needed to be drawn back, and Prime knew, he must be at the peak of his abilities this day.

"**Autobots**! When we get out there, focus all fire on the enemy forces entering the base, we must give Wheeljack enough time to make it to the controls!"

The Autobots and Luna nodded in unison, the door sliding open, rushing out into the grand battle that awaits them. The Autobots ran out into the central hub, the Groundbridge remained open as more Vehicons marched out forward, a constant flow of enemy troopers pouring out into the base.

Starscream hovered above the troopers and let out a slow but sinister grin, "Oh look here, the Autobots have decided to _accept_ their demise after all!" A hooked jagged finger pointed down at the bots below, Starscream's red eyes focused on his victims, "Decepticons! Destroy them **all**!"

A cluster of missiles rained down from the sky as Starscream's manical laughter filled the air.

"**INCOMING**!" Bulkhead cried out as he fired into the air, causing one of the missiles to erupt in and explosion of fire and shrapnel.

Luna and the others dodged the explosions the missiles caused and rushed forward, blasting Con after Con, until the floor was littered with Vehicon bodies.

Dodging enemy fire, Wheeljack raced to the control console, leaping over destroyed Vehicons along the way, "Keep the _stink_ off me guys! I got work to do!"

Optimus charged forward in a burst of speed and power, firing lethal rounds from his Ion Blaster into the hearts of the Vehicon soldiers, slicing his sword through their torsos, "Nothing reaches Wheeljack! Autobots, _**Maximum Burn**_!"

Above the fighting, Starscream's eyes widened and fear began to set in, Optimus Prime was alive now, and fighting for the Autobots, his troops were being decismated, and his plan now useless without an Autobot under his control. It took little then a second for Starscream to transform, and race out through the Autobot Ground Bridge, seeking shelter back within the Nemesis.

Luna and Cheetor, combined via the Savage link, spun round, their newly formed talons shredding Vehicons into ribbons as they used them to deflect laser fire as well, "_C'mon Cheetor, you're making me do all the work here_!"

Cheetor mentally groaned within Luna's mind, "_Hey, it takes a __**lot**__ to make you this strong_. _So how about a little acknowledgment_!"

"_I acknowledge I'm doing all the work_!" Luna said, a smile appearing beneath her battle mask.

"Wheeljack!" Bulkhead cried out, his arm guards raised to absorb the enemy fire, but for naught, as a shot brazed his shoulder, tearing into his thick armor, "Not to rush ya, but how's that bridge coming along?"

"Working on it Bulk!" Wheeljack was not familiar with this kind of tech, he worked on weapons and defensive machines, not teleporters. The Console began to spark and fry out as he worked. "Of _**all the times**_ to start _**slagging**_ out on me!" Wheeljack punched the controls in frustration, more sparks flying out from the impact, "It would take me _weeks_ to undo this damage! And that's without the stress of getting scrapped out here!"

"We'll hold them back for weeks then! Months even! You know we can, Jackie!" Bulkhead replied, trying to keep spirits high.

Wheeljack drew his swords and turned away from the control panel, "I've had _enough_ of this Bulk, we can't hold out that long! We'll be depleted of energon in just a day if it keeps up like this!'

At that second, Wheeljack charged forward, his twin swords shredding into all Vehicons that stood in his way, as he raced directly towards the Groundbridge.

"**WHEELJACK**! **WHAT'RE YOU DOING**?" Bulkhead cried out, in disbelief.

"Showin' them who's boss. Wrecker style!" Wheeljack saluted his friend, in his hand was a lone grenade, the pin held down.

Wheeljack vanished through the portal, leading straight to the Nemesis' Groundbridge controls.

Silence.

It did not last long. A massive explosion soon followed, completly melting down any Decepticon unfortunate enough to be in the Groundbridge at the time, the ones nearby merely blasted forward by the epic shockwave that followed.

The Groundbridge finally shut down, the base was secure at last.

"The Groundbridge...is _closed_?" Ratchet slowly shifted himself into the room with Bumblebee's aid, "We're...how…how did this?"

"At a great cost doc..." Bulkhead picked up a single sword off the ground. Owned by a very loyal Wrecker, and an even more loyal friend, "Wheeljack's old signature." Bulkhead couldn't help but bring himself to laugh, "One grenade, and one shot."

"Wheeljack gave his life, to ensure the rest of us would survive." Optimus stepped forward, retracting his facemask and weapons, not needing their use for now, "By destroying the enemy Groundbridge, and severing their connection to our portal. The only way it would seem..._possible_ for us to endure this invasion."

Luna's eyes opened and her mind raced. Wheeljack. _**Gone**_.

"But..What about Wheeljack?" She screeched in a frantic tone, "He's _stuck_ over there! No. No, Primus you guys! We have to stage a rescue mission! He's not dead! He's just trapped! **TRAPPED AND WAITING FOR US**!"

Bulkhead wished it were true, his eyes hung low, the once joyful Autobot, not brought to the brink of tears, "Luna...Cybertronian grenades are serious ammunition. They don't leave much left. He gave his life. For us, and for you..."

"We lost a good comrade today, and a better friend. May his spark join with the Matrix, the greatest, of Cybertron." Optimus' words were filled with great wisdom, but also with sorrow, he did not show much sadness, but his spark wept for each friend lost in the war.

"All because he snapped and got impatient." Luna muttered, as she looked down saddly. "Get out Cheetor...we don't have anyone to protect."

Cheetor complied, severing their fusion. Reformming next to her in humanoid form.

"Luna, stop, we can't break apart like this...not now." Ratchet said, his words of concern for her surprising even Optimus.

"Whatever!" Luna walked off, kicking the head of a Vehicon along the way. Her mind filled with the images of her parents, Optimus, and Wheeljack's deaths, blaming herself for it all.

"_Nobody_ to protect..."


	23. Chapter 23

It has been two days since the Decepticon invasion of the Autobot Outpost Omega-1. Decepticon activity has mysteriously ended, and signs or signal of Wheeljack's survival, nonexistent. The Autobots savor a bitter sweet victory, as they begin to rebuild, and repair, their spirits high, for a hope, of a time without war.

A day, which may never come.

The Autobot base laid in rubble and disrepair. Long metallic pipes and cables jetting out from a hole in the ceiling began to mend their connections as a mysterious force worked on them.

"That should do it." Ratchet huffed.

Holstering the Polarity Gauntlet in his hands, Ratchet turned round, the sight of the other Autobots, slowly repairing their fallen home, gave him great pride, but a deep sense of sorrow still plagued his mind, "It's a good thing the Cons didn't take anything when they retreated, or our repairs might not have been very successful."

Bulkhead was off across the room, lifting up a large metal panel back into place, as he began to weld it into place with his free hand, "Yeah, but we still don't know if, or what they wanted to take doc, that's why Prime ordered the complete inventory check."

Down in the Autobot Inventory, Luna and Cheetor stood in awe, in Luna's hand was a small clipboard and pencil.

"So...can we just put a checkmark next to shit-ton of weapons?" Luna asked as she tried to contemplate just how many artifacts were stored here.

Cheetor's jaw hung open as he nodded slowly, this was his first time in the armory himself, and he too was impressed by their secret collection.

Back in the central hub, Bulkhead nodded as the panel held in place, "Yeah, Optimus saw how bad Luna took Wheeljack's...accident. Thought she might need something to do to take her mind off things."

Cheetor exited the elevator from the Armory and walked into the Central command hub, looking over the repairs, looking to Bulkhead, having heard his comment, "Bulk, listen, she just...needs some time to vent and stuff. A lot of important people died in her life after all."

"Then why doesn't she open up to you?" Arcee asked; she was towards the upper portion of the hub, working on the machine turrets that defended them, "Since you know her so well. You do actually seem to make her feel better. Since you watched her gro-"

Cheetor held his hand up in protest and glared at Arcee from below, "Listen, she'll...find out about that later. Right now she needs to keep her mind off the grief. That's why I left her to do inventory alone. It should take her awhile to finish."

Arcee shook her head and went back to her work, "Whatever you say kid, you're the expert on women after all."

Cheetor shook his head and turned to Ratchet, "So, think you can fire up the bridge? I was going to join the patrol with Bumblebee and Optimus, make sure things are safe." Cheetor asked, pointing at the sparking, crippled bridge.

"Bumblebee is the only one on Patrol Cheetor." Ratchet said, placing the wrench he held onto the ground, next to his other tools, "Optimus went to meet with the specialist he got in contact with. With Wheeljack gone, we're going to need the touch of an engineer around here."

Above, Arcee begins work on one of the automated sentry turrets, built to defend the base of invaders, "Just one more quarter turn and—"

An explosion erupts overhead, the turret beginning to spark and crumble to pieces, as Arcee plummets from above.

"**I GOT HER**!" Bulkhead yelled as he rushed over, his arms extended as he catches Arcee before she hit the ground, "So, guess you really have _fallen_ for me huh?" Bulkhead's laughter was received with only a scowl from Arcee as she removed herself from his arms.

"Consider us even for the time I saved your skid plate from Breakdown!" Arcee began to collect the scrap metal the turret left as Cheetor resumed his chat with Ratchet,

"An expert? Sounds much needed. Who is this engineer he's bringing in?" Cheetor wasn't one who likes to be left out of the loop, if a new bot was coming; he wanted to know just who this character is.

"Oh, nobody special," Bulkhead replied as Ratchet was too busy working on the Groundbridge to answer, "Just some mercenary we could contact, name was...Uh...Arcee, do you remember?"

"Rattle wasn't it?"

"No no, it was...Rattletrap?"

"Ratletape?"

Finally Bulkhead got the answer to play in his mind, "Oh yeah! Now I remember, some merc named Rattrap, he landed off base a few hours ago. Optimus was going to negotiate the terms for aiding in our repairs, y'know, get an extra hand on board here."

Arcee looked over to Bulkhead and scowled yet again, "I still don't see why we need this guy. Mercs aren't exactly trustworthy bots. Besides, anything Wheeljack can fix, we can-"

The upper level of the base erupted in a burst of building energy pressure, metal panels falling from the ceiling.

"...Get slagged by." Bulkhead retorted, "This is why we need an expert...but no one could replace Jackie."

At that moment Cheetor's ears perked up, "What…did you say?"

Bulkhead turned towards Cheetor, a bit uneasy about the way the Autobot scout looked in the eye, "What's the matter with you? You look like we just invited a Con over for Energon and Dio-fuel."

"Oh you might as well have!" Cheetor began overheating, his entire body going berserk just by the mere mention of Rattrap, "I will not let that _low down_! **Back Stabbing**! _**Vermin**_! Into our home, he'll rob us blind and leave us with less than we do now!"

Bulkhead's optics widened and put down his work equipment, "Oh c'mon Spots. Isn't all that stuff Energon under the polarity gateway? Besides, maybe he's changed, bots can do that y'know."

Cheetor was too far into his rage to understand, nor care for Bulkhead's words. He knew Rattrap better than any of them, he knew him back, when the war was in its climax, "Listen Bulk, you don't know him like I do! He's nothing more than a _**pest**_! And trust me, he always stays the same, no matter what happens, he'll always be the same back alley thief I remember."

Arcee stepped forward to enter the conversation at hand, "He couldn't be that bad, he wears an Autobot insignia's after all, they don't just give those away y'know; they need to be earned."

"Or _stolen_."

A radio frequency broke the argument, as Optimus Prime himself requested open channel to the Autobot base.

"Your arguing will have to wait." Ratchet said as he closed the panel to the Groundbridge. He moved over towards the computer panel and activated the audio receptors, "Optimus, you are on secure lines, proceed with your report for us."

"I have concluded all negotiations with Rattrap, and an agreement has been made." Optimus Prime's voice echoed through the base, his voice commanding a presence, "We will return to base now, Ratchet, a ground bridge would be most appreciated."

Ratchet dusted off the controls of the Groundbridge off and input the coordinate's specified in the messages, opening the Autobots portal; as a pair of figures entered through the vortex. Optimus Prime made his way back into the base, just his presence alone drew the eye of his comrades, his image one that could command, but be approachable. A true leader.

Next to him however, stood a small hunched over robot, barely up to Optimus' knees. The bot was black and blue in color, but the amount of rust over his body gave him the appearance of being brown in color. He wore a helmet which exposed his interior brain. On each hand were a set of spindly hooked fingers. This "Autobot" had the stature and movements of an old man, but had the eyes of a mastermind crime lord.

"Aye, what the slag happened to this place? You guys been throwin' some wind mixer parties here or what?" Rattrap chuckled to himself as he looked around the disrepair base, holding onto his metal walking stick for support.

The rest of the Autobots could only watch as Cheetor was the first to approach, "Rattrap, what the _**HELL**_ are you doing here?"

"Hehehe, eh puss, your big boss here asked me "_per-son-ally_" to lend a helping servo. So being the generous bot I am, I said yes. For...equal compensation of course." Rattrap snickered and pointed his walking stick at Cheetor, getting at his nerves.

Cheetor scowled, his eyes unrelenting as he stared Rattrap down, the bad blood between them coming to a boil, "_Compensation_? I knew it you piece of _slag_! What did you ask for? Security codes? Weapons? **THE FREAKING MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP**!"

Optimus stepped between the two and help a passive hand before Cheetor, in an attempt to halt further fighting, "Cheetor, I agreed to allow Rattrap access to any damaged parts he could salvage from the base that were too damaged to be used for repairs. He wishes to repair the damage taken on his ship from the trip it took to aid us; he has not requested anything else during our negotiations."

The central elevator doors opened as a small human walked through, her eyes wide and a clipboard in her hand.

"Anyone know what a Kinetic Destroyer looks like?" Luna looked around and noticed the new Autobot in her presence, her eyes widened even further as she went into a fluster, "Oh _slag_! I am _so_ underdressed!" She squeaked as she looks around in a panic.

As Luna tried to sneak out, Cheetor's enhanced senses took effect as he spun around and glared up at the stairway near the elevator, "**LUNA**!"

Luna froze in place and spun around slowly, a panicked expression on her face, "Oh...Hey Freckles…" An awkward laugh echoed from her mouth.

"Ah, so is that who I think it is?" Rattrap asked as he glanced up at Luna, his eyes focusing of the high tech arm adorning her body, "So **this** is the little dame who saved Optimus, huh? I was expecting something… _bigger_. Well, either way, it's such a real "_honor_" your _highness_, did ya bring the big guy back on ya own or did ya have mommy and daddy help ya too?"

Cheetor glared angrily as Rattrap laughed and continued to joke. "Serious "Fweckles" why you guys have a human run around here?"

Luna dropped the clipboard and made a fist and leaped over the railing, running over to punch Rattrap square in the jaw for those words, "**MY PARENTS **_**DIED**_** YOU **_**AFTHOLE**_!"

"_Eh_, no rust off my skid plate. And kid, don't make me hurt 'cha, how was I supposed to know your mommy and daddy were six feet under? So don't go _yellin_' at me!" Rattrap grinned and hobbled over towards the center of the room, using his cane for support.

She stopped short and looked over to Cheetor, surprised to see his eyes were more rage filled then her own, "Who… Who the _hell_ does this guy think he is?" She whispered to her friend.

"Now, if you all will _excuse_ me, I gotta go see just how badly you guys screwed up here."

Arcee approached him, her expression disgusted as she immediately grew a distain for the new bot amongst them. Even Prowl was easier to get along with than this guy, "If you'd like I can show you where we here hit the hardest. The others have _work_ to do at the moment."

Rattrap stared and stroked his chin, checking Arcee out, "Do I know you from somewhere? I ever sell something to ya? Buy something? Great Aunt perhaps?"

Unammused Arcee kept her scowling face, "None of the above. Now, you want the tour or not?"

"No need." Rattrap lifted his arms up, from panels on his body small devices fell out, landing onto the ground below.

The devices were about the size of a cell phone; each device shifting its form into a small rodent like machine. Dozens of these Rat-drones sped off, entering the cracks and holes in the walls and air vents.

"I'll start my repairs in the morning, my scouter drones will have a damage assessment by this afta'noon, but only _**AFTER**_ I get some parts for my ship. Can't have you guys back out on my deal after all."

Optimus turned to Rattrap and looked down upon the old mechanic, despite his attitude, he tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, as he was used to working with bots with certain attitude problems, Ironhide and Prowl amongst them.

"You are free to help yourself to all the scrap metal you can find Rattrap, you are entitled to your end of our agreement."

Luna and Cheetor glared on as Luna's fist tightened its grasp, sparks igniting from her metal fingers clenching together, "How _dare_ he bring things up like that! Treating me like a kid!"

Cheetor wasn't listening; he removed himself from Luna's side and stepped forward, glaring at Rattrap in a hate filled gaze, "Rattrap. Remind us all again. _**HOW**_ did you get here in the first place?"

"What, are your vocal sensors malfunctioning, kid? I _flew_ to this dirt ball in a star cruiser, what else?" Rattrap rolled his optics and grinned; and why shouldn't he? He was enjoying himself after all, messing with his old buddy Cheetor, and getting all the free parts he wanted while he did it.

Cheetor's eyes narrowed as a smile finally spread across his face, "**I GOT YOU**!" He pointed a triumphant finger at Rattrap's face, "You couldn't fly a ship to save your life! In my entire time I've known you; you never even set _**FOOT**_ on a ship."

Luna put her hatred for Rattrap aside and rushed over to Cheetor, grabbing his hand and pulling it back down, "Freckles, you all right? This...I've never seen you like this before."

Rattrap laughed and shook his head, almost amused by Cheetor's attempts to discredit him, "Kid, those spots starting to seep into your central processor? I haven't seen ya in nearly two thousand of your "_Earth_" years. You ever think I learned how to fly a ship? I mean, planet's sorta dead, so we all had'a learn. Real nice bot taught me too, Power- something."

"**YOU NEVER OWNED A SHIP**!" Cheetor's voice grew more aggressive as he moved Luna away from him, this time getting right into Rattrap's face, "I _know_ you Rattrap! This is just another scam! And now I've caught you, you dirty little rat!"

"My hygiene aside, _Freckles_. For your information I do happen to _**OWN**_ a ship now, like I said, two thousand years you idiot. Got out of the black market trade and used my credits to open a little shuttle business around Cybertron." Rattrap replied, his tone still as pompous and relaxed as usual.

Luna sighed and looked down, worried at Cheetor, '_Cheetor…is going a bit overboard...why is he getting so upset?' _Luna thought to herself, her mind oblivious to the history between the two.

Optimus took this time to interject himself into the conversation, "Cheetor, I saw the ship myself, and I saw Rattrap land it himself as well. While I may not _agree_ with Rattrap's way of introducing himself, I will not discredit him until proof arises." Optimus looked into his spark for wisdom and sighed, regretting what he must do, "Cheetor, I feel your notions to discredit Rattrap will only prolong our repairs, which must take priority at this insecure point in time."

A jolt of shock filled Cheetor's mind as he looked up at Optimus, "What are you saying Optimus?"

"I'm afraid you are confined to quarters until Rattrap's repairs are done. Or until further notice."

Cheetor's mind went blank, Rattrap was being welcomed as a savior for the team...and Cheetor now became the outcast.

An outcast.

Just like when it all began.

* * *

><p>It was on Cybertron, during the central peek of the Great War. Iacon had fallen, and the Autobots within the city now fought for supplies, many going to the Decepticon side, with their promises of Energon, and safety.<p>

A younger Cheetor stood amongst a pile of broken pillars and rubble, shifting through the debris, desperately searching for something, "C'mon,_ c'mooooon_, it's got to be here somewhere!" Cheetor pushes a large segment of a once grand building away, finding what he was searching so desperately for.

A small blaster lay under the rubble, coated in debris and scratches, but still in working condition.

"Finally!" Cheetor cheered, as he picked the blaster up, holding it in hand. He stared at the blaster intently, here, a device used by others for destruction, would bring a safe journey for him and the friends he wished to lead out of Iacon.

"Please! Don't shoot!"

Cheetor turned to see a pair of Cybertronians, the two bots stepping back in fear of him, "Hey, hey, I'm not going to…" Cheetor said, holding his hands up passively.

It was too late.

"**OVER HERE**! We've got a _Looter_!"

A security soldier looked down the alleyway and saw the scene unlike it really was. To him, Cheetor was another bot taking advantage of the disarray, hoping to get parts and credits out of refugees.

At that moment, a sleek white Autobot stepped in front of the Autotrooper. He wore a red visor and has black designs across his primarily white body. A cluster of cybertanium throwing stars holstered onto his belt, and a pair of rocket launchers mounted onto his back.

"So you're the bot that's been terrorizing these parts huh? Our anonymous tip was right that you'd be around here." The bot smirked and his launchers took aim, "**AUTOTROOPERS**! **TAKE AIM**! **LETHAL INTENT**!"

A team of five Autotroopers marched forward; their guns armed and pointed at Cheetor, chanting at the same time, "**YES COMMANDER PROWL**!"

Unable to grasp the situation, Cheetor tossed the blaster down and ran for his life, using his enhanced speed to try and escape. Cheetor's speed was impressive, but very few knew of his talents, he never became a professional speed model, despite sharing the same Cybertronian mode as the famous racer, Blurr.

In his haste, Cheetor did not notice the figure watching from above. Rushing around a corner, Cheetor hid against a wall down a broken down alleyway, listening as Prowl and his squad of Autrotroopers rushed past. For now, he was safe. Cheetor sunk down onto the ground. Iacon was now a scorch mark on the planet, and now anyone could be an enemy. The days of freedom and trust, were coming to an end.

Cheetor's eyes opened wide as he formed a pair of fists, prepared to fight to defend himself, "Just leave me _alone_! I didn't do anything wrong!"

Next to him, stood Rattrap, a much younger Rattrap, but still pretty old by Cybertronian standards, "Hey kid, relax, relax!" Rattrap said, taking out a small cigar from his pocket and placing it into his mouth, "I know ya didn't do nothin', kid." Rattrap took a puff of the cigar and exhaled a breath of smoldering ash, "Thing is kid, those guys think you did, and pretty soon, you're gonna be on the wanted list. Prowl, may be a slag-head, but he's relentless in bringing guys like you down."

Cheetor's optics widened, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The bots that he once admired and respected were now searching to gun him down, "My…my friends…"

"If they're seen with you, they'll be gunned down too." Rattrap held the cigar in his mouth and placed a hand onto Cheetor's shoulder.

"Wh-What am I going to do?" Cheetor turned to Rattrap, looking for any answer he could grasp onto. He needed something…anything. Cheetor's mind was fragile and crushed.

And Rattrap knew it.

"Simple, you come with me and my crew. We'll make sure you stay safe." Rattrap extended a hand, to seal their agreement.

In the future, Cheetor would remember this as the moment his life turned for the worse. And every day, he regrets shaking the hand of Rattrap that day.

A deal with the devil had been made.


	24. Chapter 24

Cheetor glared up at Optimus in disbelief of what he heard. Slowly, his gaze withdrew itself, backing down as he walked back to quarters, "This isn't over rat-face." he mumbled

Chasing after him, Luna placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, "Are you all right? You don't look like the fun loving narcissist I know."

"I'm fine, never been happier!" Cheetor said, with an obvious tint of sarcasm.

Glaring back at him, Luna shook her head and smiled softly, "C'mon, enough grumpiness, let's try and relax you down a bit."

"I will _never_ be relaxed until that **rat** is out of our home! He's no good for anyone! Anything or anywhere! I'd slag him myself right then and there, if I didn't respect Optimus enough to let it go." Cheetor's mood wasn't improving, the longer Rattrap stayed, the more Cheetor fell into his hatred for the old bot.

Cheetor entered his quarters, Luna following after, regardless of whether Cheetor wished her to be there or not.

Luna rubbed her arm uneasily, trying to find the words to comfort her friend, "Cheetor, what's really bothering you?" She asked.

"Rattrap is! He shouldn't even be here!"

Sitting beside him, Luna nodded and looked over to her friend, "I don't like the guy much either." She said with a giggle, "But you have more to say than that, Freckles! C'mon, I pour all my problems on you, it's the least I can do to listen."

"_**NO**_!"

Cheetor's single word made Luna's eyes widen, her heart skipping a beat, "This is my problem and mine alone! I'm not going to let you get in anything involving that _scum_!" Cheetor knew all too well what Rattrap was capable of. He took advantage of your friends, turning you against them, holding them against you, all to meet his twisted goals.

"It's a bit late now." She replied, crossing her arms as she feigned a sad face, "Stop being so upset, that's my job! I can't go back to being unemployed!" She hoped for a laugh, a smile, any sign that the fun loving bot she knew was in there, somewhere.

"Not in the mood for jokes, Luna."

Luna's heart sank as she looked down and moped, finding out just how quickly a bad mood can spread from person to person.

"This bot ruined my life; almost killed me on multiple occasions. He's nothing but trouble, and I want him out of here."

Luna shook her head; hugging his arm as his eyes looked down at the floor, "I'm glad he only _nearly_ killed you, cause if you never lived, who else would be there for me when bad things happened to me? I wouldn't have a best friend here. Oops, umm, sorry, talking to myself."

Finally, at long last, Cheetor let out a small smile, "Intentional or not, that did make me feel a bit better."

Cheetor smiled a bit more and patted Luna's shoulder. Cheetor thought back to his younger life, and the friends he made through it, and the ones he lost too. However, Luna was one friend he never intended to make, but became one he never wanted to lose.

Luna pumped her hand into the air and laughed, "**LUNA WINS**!" She cried out, as she hugged Cheetor tightly, "Well, whenever you want to talk to me about these things, you just let me know, okay?"

Cheetor scowled once more, Luna quickly slunk down and looked at him with curious eyes, "Well, regardless of that, I'm stuck in here, and he's off having the time of his life getting ready to take even more away from us!" He replied, he wanted to be happy, and think things would be fine, but Cheetor knew better.

"Not if we find out what he's up too first!" Luna made a fist and punched the air in front of her, "We'll get proof he's double crossing us! And then Prime and the others will get to slag his sorry butt!"

"Hello? Confined to quarters, I'm stuck in here! And besides, I can't turn my back on orders, I respect Prime more then I hate Rattrap." Cheetor said as he scowled, "_Ugh_, I hate this!"

Snapping her fingers, an idea overcame Luna, "You said we're linked by that Savage Claw mode thing, right? Then how about I become your eyes and ears? After all, _I'm_ not confined to quarters!"

"It _could_ work, but I thought you didn't like it when I'm in your head?" Cheetor liked the idea, it could work without disobeying Optimus directly, he just needed to figure out how there were to go about doing this.

"There's always some exceptions." Luna spoke as she tugged on his hand and pulled him up as she smiled, looking into his eyes, "I want to help you anyway I can, Freckles."

Cheetor nodded in agreement, he wasn't about to refuse a chance to get back at his mortal enemy, but he knew they had to be careful, the underground crime lords were girl scouts compared to Rattrap. Everybody worked for him in those days, and nobody defied him, well...not without taking a long energon bath.

"Alright, we'll try it, but Rattrap is sneaky, he never is where you think he'll be, and even I couldn't track him down back on Cybertron...when I had the chance..." Cheetor shook his visions off and looked towards Luna now, "We'll start tonight, when he's active the longest."

Luna nodded, and headed towards the door, hesitating as she turned toward Cheetor, "I'll wake you up later tonight. I promise, we'll get this slag head, we'll make him pay!" She smiled and left his room, as Cheetor stared up at the ceiling, wondering, if this was worth the risk.

**Later that night**

Luna slipped back into Cheetor's room, shutting the door slowly behind her as she sighed, looking over to Cheetor, still asleep, half way from falling off the edge of the bed, "Freckles…" She whispered. Losing patience, Luna smacked Cheetor upside the head with her metallic hand, "_Wake_ _up_, stupid!"

Cheetor opened his eyes, alert, and in a fluster, as his ears perked up, "_**OUCH**_!" He cried, as he fell, face-first onto the ground below. "What was that for, Luna?"

Eyes opened as she glared at him, "Umm, _hello_? We have an evil bot to take down! Or did you just forget..._**AGAIN**_."

Cheetor sat up from off the ground and stretched, loosening his joints as he stood up before Luna, "You're right, it's time the Savage Claw team went on a hunting expedition, today's game, Rodent ala Cybertron!"

He stood up more spirited than before Luna left, perhaps all he needed was a good night of sleep, or perhaps, he was just trying to make Luna happy. Either way, she didn't like it.

"But you said you were stuck here." Luna replied.

"Yeah, well...I know the Savage Claw mode hurts your head after, so, why not cut out the middle man and go with you myself?" Cheetor said, surprising Luna with his deep concern for her, "Besides, he's smart, I doubt he'll make any big time moves on his first night here".

Luna sighed and shook her head, "So, our first big plan isn't getting off the ground, now what?"

"I don't know. Rattrap will be playing things pretty slick tonight, especially with me here." Cheetor replied, he knew Rattrap almost as well as Rattrap did, and he bet that the con-bot was going to play this heist much cooler than he had before.

Shaking her head, Luna crossed her arms and made her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cheetor asked.

"Hey, if we're turning this steak-out into a sleep-over, I'm gonna need some snacks, man."

Luna smiled as she replied, exiting the room as she waved back at Cheetor.

Luna entered a small kitchen area the Autobots had set up specifically for her, inside was a mini-fridge and small pantry filled with sodas and all sorts of food for her to eat, due to Autobot cuisine being incompatible with her...everything.

"Hmm, some popcorn, a couple sodas; where's the strawberries?" Luna said to herself, not realizing she had a secret listener amongst her.

Above, in a crack in the ceiling, a small robotic drone looked down at Luna. The small rodent-like drone belonged to Rattrap, but it's true purpose was made clear. These were not reconnaissance drones, to map out the base's damage. They were spy drones, seeking any and all things Rattrap may want to know about.

The drone made a soft sheering noise, sending a communication to its sleeping master, knowing, that it's master, Rattrap, would like the tech the human female carried on her arm; as if it were an accessory.

Luna gathered up her small assortment of snacks, but a feeling in her gut told her to pause. She looked around the room and shook her head, "Ugh, I _swear_ these missions are giving me paranoia!" She whispered as she began heading towards the stairway towards Cheetor's room, "I wish Wheeljack was here. He always made this place feel so…safe." Luna sighed and looked down at her feet as she walked.

As Luna moved down the stairs, Rattrap's metallic drones scurried through the spaces between the walls of the base, receiving commands from their master.

"I gotta let Spots know I'm not going to be messed with." Rattrap said, sending his voice commands out to his drones, "Eliminate the girl, but leave the arm."

The drones climbed up towards the inner layers of the ceiling, reaching into a storage hub for one of Wheeljack's deactivated auto-gun defense sentries. The small rodent like machines plugged their cord-like tails into the dormant machine, making it come back to life as it emerged from the storage area, loading its multiple shell barrels.

Luna stood at the base of the stairs, lost in thought as she worried about her friends, and more importantly to her, Cheetor. Silently, without her knowledge, the Auto-gun turret locked on to the target the drones had selected for it.

**Luna**.


	25. Chapter 25

Luna stood oblivious, as the whirling barrels of the auto-gun took aim, about to launch their charges at the small human teenager, like a deer being hunted.

"**LUNA**!" a voiced called out.

Luna turned her head and looked towards the source of the interrupting voice. A sleek blue robot stood before her. Arcee placed a hand against her metallic waist, leaning her weight to one side as she stared down at Luna.

"What are you doing out at night all by yourself? The base is in disrepair! If you stepped on an exposed electrical line, you'd be charbroiled Carvaline!" Arcee showed her concern as she knelt down before Luna, meeting with her face to face.

Above them the auto-gun, being manipulated by the sentient drones of Rattrap himself, focused its shot, a tiny red laser sight lining up with Luna's head.

"Go back to your room, Luna" Arcee said with a motherly scowl, "It's not safe in this part of the base just yet."

Luna blinked and was about to respond, but something caught her attention. On the ground to her side was a small candy bar she had dropped. She had brought it just for Cheetor, as he liked to try and get a taste for it. As she bent down to pick up the candy bar, the auto-gun's laser sight shifted as she moved her head, and in a split second, Luna's eye caught glimpse of the gun locking onto her.

She turned to Arcee in a fluster, snatching the candy bar and began to run for cover, "**I'LL GO TO MY ROOM**! **I'LL GO TO MY ROOM**!"

The auto-gun reacted and let loose a barrage of energy shells, blasting round after round towards Luna, as Arcee watched on in shock, as the base defenses seemingly turned on them.

Arcee's arms shifted form and narrowed, forming two precision rifles with deadly aim, "That's not me doing this! _Go_, **GET OUT OF HERE**!"

The sleek Autobot fired at the auto-gun, but her shots only were absorbed by the energy barrier that formed around each gun, a design Wheeljack might not have installed if he knew they would be used against his comrades. Ignoring her assault, the turret gun fired only on Luna, keeping a tight beam on her as she ran towards the exit. Arcee stepped between the turret and Luna, a stray shot skidding across her shoulder.

Luna did a running slide towards the exit as the Turret fired into the hallway, "_**HAH**_! **NOW WHAT**!" Luna exclaimed, as her back pressed against the wall, keeping out of sight and out of range.

Arcee could only watch on as the auto-gun moved forward, sparks flying as it grinded against a metallic track placed across the ceiling of the base. The gun moved into the hallway, and locked back onto Luna.

"Slag..."

She leaped forward, and dodged more blasts, until she managed to find Cheetor's room once more, as she barged into the room and quickly shut the blast door behind her.

"**CHEETOR**!" Luna exclaimed, as she fought for breath, "Savage. Paw. _Thing_. _**NOW**_!"

Cheetor sat up in his bed and rose a metallic eyebrow at her, wondering just what has gotten her so flustered, "Luna, I can't leave my room, _remember_? And besides, if training with Bulkhead has you this frazzled, maybe you shoul-"

Luna cut him off as her hand shifted into a blaster, "**LISTEN TO ME**! Being grounded was enforced _**BEFORE**_ the base started trying to kill me!" She turned to the door, her eyes widening as her foot clashed against the metal door, kicking the steel frame in frustration, "Arcee is _still_ out there fighting it! _**UGH**_, we gotta go now, or do...something! _Anything_!"

Arcee remained outside, still attempting to draw the gun pod away from Luna, firing relentlessly as her shots continued to be absorbed and blocked by the shield around it. Her head shook in frustration, she was out of rounds, and force would not get this problem solved.

A metal fist clashed on the door leading into the Autobot Sick Bay, domain of Ratchet, "Ratchet! Get up! I know you aren't recharging in there! And we kinda have a situation!"

Back in Luna's room, Cheetor's body shimmered and warped slightly, lines of code appearing across his face, "Well...why don't you just relax, and stay here while we take care of the probl_eeeeee_m. The defense grid is firing at Luna!"

Luna watched in shock and horror, as she came to the realization, she had been lured into Cheetor's room. But for what reason?

A brief stirring emanated from the medical ward of the Autobots, as Ratchet peered out shortly after, "What are you talking about?" He said in response to Arcee's claims, "The Auto-Guns have been all temporarily shut down so Rattrap can work; they can't be firing at this time!"

Arcee brought her shoulder into view, a large scorch mark staining her sapphire armor, and Ratchet's argument became invalid. He realized someone -or something- was after Luna.

Luna covered her mouth and stepped back slowly, as the hologram of Cheetor sneered and stared at her arm with unrelenting eyes, "What...who... who are you? What the slag do you want?" Luna's tone turned hostile, she wasn't in the mood for any games.

A small rodent like machine leaped up from behind Cheetor's bed, a bright cone of light emitting from its tail, producing the hologram, "_C'mon_ Luna, you're tired. You should know I only want what's best for me. Rest up, you're exhausted."

Luna shook her head and glared at the bed, seeing one of Rattrap's drones producing the fake Cheetor, "Oh slag..." She shifted her arm into a high-powered blaster, and pointed the barrel directly at the drone, "Rattrap is one sick bastard."

The hologram dissipated as the drone scurried off, avoiding the shot Luna fired that blew off half of Cheetor's bed. As the drone ran off, the lights in Cheetor's room blacked out, casting perfect darkness around Luna. From the blackness, five ominous red lights shifted around, each pointing at Luna.

Her eyes widened and knees began to buckle, her entire body shaking in fear, "Oh, God..." She prayed this was all a joke, and that Cheetor was behind it all. Or better, Cheetor was going to save her, anyone even, she wanted this nightmare to end. She attempted to try the Savage Claw link, hoping he was nearby enough to activate it, but her fear sent her into a deep sense of paralysis.

Suddenly, a metal fist knocked on the door she leaned on, "**OPEN UP ALREADY**!" The voice called out. Cheetor slammed his fist against the door as he continued to enter his override code, "I only left my room to find Luna, dammit! I can't be in that much trouble for that! C'mon I'm _**CONFINED THERE**_!"

Her body jumped up and turned to where the sound came from, hearing Cheetor's voice and relaxing a bit at its sound, "I-I haven't locked you out! The doors just closed on their own!" Luna began to sob and hugged herself tightly, "I'm ...I'm _scared_ Cheetor. Open the door please, _**PLEASE**_!"

Cheetor clawed at the door, trying to break through, "It's not working Luna!" Despite the unsuccessful attempts, he continues at it, barely making a scratch in the thick blast door.

Shaking even more now, Luna stared up at the red lights as they moved closer, "It's no use Cheetor! Go get Arcee, o-or Bulkhead! Maybe they can help get the door down!"

Rattrap sat in his quarters that Optimus had arranged for him, watching the scene unfold from the eyes of his drones. On one screen, the terrified Luna, and on the other, a valiant Cheetor, clawing at the door in hopes to save his friends, "Ah, what it's like to be young, rash, and _idiotic_." He said to himself as his hand hovered over a small button in his chair, "Sorry kid, you play the house, and you're gonna lose." In slow motion, Rattraps hand fell down, colliding with the button.

The lights blare in Cheetor's room as Luna shielded her eyes from the intense light. The red lights inching towards her are shown to be nothing more than five rat drones which instantly scurry off, except for one. The drone shyly inches towards Luna, and lifts its tail up, projecting a holographic screen, showing the scene playing out behind the blast door of Cheetor's room.

On the screen, Luna watches helplessly as Cheetor claws madly at the door, bits of his hands breaking off due to the strain, "_**STOP IT**_,**CHEETOR**! _**DON'T**_!" Luna cried out, but it was to no avail, Rattrap had activated a barrier around Cheetor's room, blocking her communications.

A slow knock rung out on the door to Optimus Prime's chambers. The door shifted, and the leader of the Autobots stood proudly as he looked down at his guest, Rattrap.

"Optimus, there's something you probably aught' ta know." Rattrap said, trying to contain his wicked smile.

"Is there something wrong with the base repairs, Rattrap?" Optimus replied.

Rattrap's eyes narrowed as he knew, his plan would work, he had all the pieces in his favor, and now, all he had to do was claim the first pawn, "Yes and no, y'see, the base repairs are going fine, the mapping at least, but my drones, they tried to scan a few of your auto-guns for analysis and, we found somethin'."

"What did you find?"

Rattrap held up a small chip, on it, the Decepticon insignia was present, "Not uncommon really, my mistake not to check for them first. They're override chips; the Con's use them to take over any automatic weapons and turn them from searching for Decepticon energy signals, to Autobot energy signatures."

"Have they been activated yet?" Optimus asked, holding the chip now within his fingers.

Luna could only watch in horror as three Auto-gun pods lowered themselves from the ceiling, their barrels all aimed at Cheetor. Her eyes wide, and hurting from the tears overflowing; Luna could only scream out as she watched the scene unfold.

Cheetor's ears perked up as he turned around, watching the auto-guns lock onto his signature, "So, this is how we end our game, huh?"A trio of laser sights hit Cheetor, the red dots converging onto his head, "I always knew you were a coward, Rattrap."

Cheetor closed his eyes as the auto-guns unleashed a cruel barrage of energy rounds upon him, his body scorched and broken as he slid down along the metal door, energon leaking from his body as the auto-guns still fired upon him.

Luna stood in silent agony as her best friend was mowed down by the defensive weapons, her body weakening as she heard every shot fired, every chip of Cheetor's body shattering. Her knees gave in and she feel to the floor, her palms slamming onto the cool floor. It was hell.

Optimus rushed forward and channeled all his might into his sword, the special material piercing the auto-gun's shields as the three gun pods fell to the ground, and powered off. Behind him, Ratchet, Arcee, and Rattrap approached, with Ratchet running up and immediately scanning Cheetor's body.

"His spark is fading, he's taken heavy single burns, and his repair function is failing fast!" Ratchet scooped up Cheetor's body in his arms, and rushed off to the sick bay, "I need to get him on instant spark support _**NOW**_!"

Arcee looked around and felt her spark flux oddly, "Prime, where's Luna?" She asked, a bit fearful for her fate.

Rattrap interjected himself to answer Arcee's question, his boney metal fingers rattling in delight as he watched Cheetor's body be carried away, "One of my drones was in that sector. According to the video feed, Cheetor locked her in his room when he came out to see what the trouble was. Then...the con controlled turret found a target."

Luna sat in Cheetor's room, shaking wildly as she hugged her legs, sobbing in the corner. First Wheeljack and now Cheetor.

Optimus patched into his com-link and spoke, "Bulkhead, I want you and Bumblebee to remove all armed auto-guns from their power supplies. I don't want another incident like the one we have just bared witness too." Shutting off the link, his attention turned to Arcee, "Go assist Ratchet in the sickbay, I will be there shortly."

Arcee nodded and dashed off, running to join Ratchet.

Rattrap neared the door Cheetor's attack was in front of, smiling away from Optimus' view as he gazed at the energon staining the door, "Another Con trick too…" Rattrap said, as he began to fiddle with the door, "That chip interferes with the locking mechanisms of these doors. They can make them open and close as they please; so they can't take cover or get away."

"Can you open it?" Optimus asked, his attention was not on Rattrap's claims, but rather, the safety of Luna.

"Eh, in a few clicks, and trust me, Luna will be outta here in a jiffy." Rattrap replied, _"Or a body bag."_ He thought to himself.

Inside Cheetor's room, another of Rattrap's drones approached Luna, squeaking to her in a cutesy mouse fashion.

"L...Leave me _**alone**_! Haven't you done _enough_?" Luna spoke, her words breaking fast overwhelming sadness and grief.

The answer was no, as the drone projected another hologram, replaying the scene of Cheetor's attack over and over, in a hellish loop.

Luna's eyes opened wide as she tried to run away from the images projected to her, "**NO NO NO NO NO**!" She tripped over her own legs and collapsed, crying profusely as the drone cared not for her misery, and continued to force her eyes upon the images of her friend dying.

"Optimus, you should go help Ratchet in the sick bay, I can handle things here." Rattrap said as he stood outside Cheetor's room.

Optimus nodded, and left Rattrap alone to work.

As soon as Optimus left, the door magically opened, as a small rat drone greeted Rattrap when the metal blast door slid open,

"Good boy…" Rattrap entered the room, to find Luna sobbing in the corner. He smiled and approached her, "Kid, you're new to the game. So let me inform ya on something. Friends are _dangerous_, cause when you got friends, you got something that can be used against ya'. Take your folks for example. If yer folks were never friends with these _Autobots_, they might still be **alive**."

Rattrap smirked and slinked off, leaving her stunned and broken with his words, "Here's to Spots, and may he make a _rapid_ recovery."


	26. Chapter 26

Optimus Prime stood by the operating table as he watched with sorrowful eyes as Ratchet worked vigilantly to revive the fallen Cheetor.

"Optimus," Ratchet frowned and leaned against the table, placing his oil stained instruments to the side, "I've done all I could. He's in temporary stasis, but you know as well as I do, the tools I have access too are subpar at best. This is all is all I can do with what we have."

Optimus placed a sorrowful hand onto Ratchet's shoulder, "You did all you could old friend."

"There's...something else." Ratchet replied.

Optimus looked surprised at this news, and he nodded silently.

"I scanned Cheetor's data-tracks; I seem to have stumbled upon a rather _interesting_ bit of code imprinted in his memory." Ratchet began to say.

"What is placed in those codes?" Optimus replied.

"A last will and testament."

Optimus' eyes opened in surprise. Cybertronians weren't known for final wishes, let alone wills, it was a human tradition, one Optimus thought highly of, but seeing Cheetor take it upon himself to make a will, it was a true shock.

"And who does this will, address?"

"Luna, and, well, no one else."

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime left the medical room, and gathered up his crew. He stood next to Ratchet by the operating table, as he began this most grieving meeting.<p>

"It pains me to gather you here today." Optimus said, "Especially after the loss we have already endured just recently."

The entire team had thoughts of Wheeljack in their head. Optimus turned to Ratchet and nodded, "Cheetor's condition has yet to improve. His spark has yet to be extinguished, however, it is only active due to the stasis he is currently in."

A gloom, eerie silence befell the room, as Rattrap, standing behind Bulkhead, rolled his eyes, not caring for the funeral service. Optimus broke the silence, with a heavy spark, he utter his words, "I am afraid to say, our scout may not see duty for some time..."

Arcee looked down and noticed Luna below her, a steady frown on her face, "Luna?" she asked as she knelt down to check of her.

Luna ignored Arcee's gestures and walked over to the table, she stood there. Broken. Devastated. Looking as though all hope was gone from the world. Her spirit was lost.

Optimus looked to his team, his friends, and sighed, "Meeting is adjourned. We have our duties to report too. It's what Cheetor would want."

All of the bots leave the med-bay, Rattrap lingering a bit longer, to savor his victory. Luna stayed put, and looked down at Cheetor, sighing to herself, her eyes begging to produce tears.

Optimus Prime knelt down out of respect and looked at her, knowing the pain she felt, "Luna, there is a matter we need to discuss."

With eyes of sadness, and pale skin, she nodded, without saying a word.

"Cheetor's data-tracks had a file within them, created some time ago. It would seem, he had something for you, in the off chance he left us. I think now is the best time for you to receive this."

Optimus delicately placed a small box from Ratchet's desk into her hands, taking great caution in handling the item. Luna took the box and looked up at Optimus, silently looking at him in question.

"I have a feeling, Cheetor's gift will help." Optimus said.

A robotic arm clung tightly to Optimus' finger as Luna buried her head against the metal of Optimus, her eyes shedding tears of sadness as Luna let it all out.

"I did not mean for you to endure this much in such a short amount of time." Optimus sighed, a deep frown forming on his face, his optics lowering to look at the small human, "In my attempt to protect you, I fear, I have done more harm than good. But I will always, be here for you Luna. You always have a servo to cry on." Optimus stayed put, letting Luna release all her sadness onto him.

Nodding, Luna wiped her eyes, breathing in, "I know."

She let go of Optimus' hand and looked at the box in her hands. She opened the small box, and looked inside. Inside the box, lies a small photo album, embezzled with an Autobot insignia, and the words, "_Family Memories_" on the cover. Luna looked at the album and removed it from the box, looking at the covers as she tried to make sense of the item she now held.

"This is Cheetor's gift to you, it is, and has been, his most treasured possession." Optimus said as he pointed to the album.

Puzzled, Luna sniffled and wipes her eyes again, as her hand shook as she opened the cover. The first photo in the album showed a large red truck, and in front of it, a man in a tuxedo, and a woman in a wedding dress.

Luna eyes widened as she looked up at Prime, pointing to the photo, "Are those-?"

Optimus nodded as he smiled softly, the memories of that day coming to mind, "Yes, those are your parents."

"So...I've seen you –or my family has known you- _before_ the hot-wire accident?" Luna coughed as she still wiped away some tears, staring in awe at the picture.

"Yes, I knew your parents and you as a child. I am afraid you were too young to remember the meeting. Your parents were some of our closest friends on Earth, and some of the first civilians to have contact with our kind. We cherished their friendship, and watched them grow...and watched as the seeds of their future blossomed into what you humans call, love."

"My parents..." Luna whispered, "My parents were your allies?"

"Yes, they were some of our most important allies too. Jack and Miko, your parents, helped us during the Decepticon attacks. I'm sure you have many questions, though, I think your answers will be within the book you hold."

"Answers?" Luna rubbed her neck as she still focused on the picture.

"Trust me." Optimus smiled and left the room, leaving Luna with her album.

Luna sighed and flipped through the book, each photo telling a story of the Autobots and her parents, some photos even going back to when Luna's parents were her age. However, nearing the back of the book, one photo stood out more than the others. It was her dad, and mom, very much pregnant with Luna, with a very familiar face. Cheetor.

"Freckles?" Luna held the book closer and stroked the picture, lowering her eyes.

More photos appear in the album, showing the Autobots with her parents, and Cheetor with her parents; one in particular, baby Luna, hugging Cheetor's neck. Luna winced as she watched more pictures pass as she flipped through the pages. Seeing her friend was her lifelong friend. She turned the last page, as an envelope fell out onto the floor. As Luna opened the envelope, she picked out the poorly written letter, as well as a small micro chip enclosed in the envelope.

_Dear Luna,_

_Wow, that was corny even for me. Well...if you're getting this, then my suspicious are correct, and Rattrap has done away with me once and for all. But he'll get what he deserves; after all, you can't keep this cat from getting his revenge! I knew Prime would give you the album when I died, I hope you like it, thought I'd leave you something to remember me, and your parents by. I still remember how small you were when you were a baby, never did get all the baby food out of my fur either, you had a habit of using me for target practice. Luna, you're like a sister to me, I just wish I could be around to see you kick butt, and become the person I know you always could be..._

_Love, Cheetor._

Luna's eyes watered as she read through the letter, her memory of Cheetor flashing before her eyes with each word she read. She scrolled to the bottom, and read the last lines of the note.

_P.S. Turn the paper over._

Luna did as the paper said, and on the back of Cheetor's letter, were five words.

_This might sting a little._

In a burst of light the small chip in Luna's hand sparks up, melding directly into the circuitry of her robotic hand as she recoiled back, Cheetor's note falling to the floor as the chip melded with her. Above her, Cheetor's body rattles, his components beginning to crack and splinter, breaking apart as Luna's arm erupted in an aura of green energy.

Her eyes widen and clenching her hand, Luna fought to stand straight, "This doesn't _**STING**_; it _**BURNS**_!"

Luna watched as Cheetor's broken body was lifted up from the table, descending down upon her like a phantom of her former friend.

"No, _no_! No more tricks! _Please_, why do you have to torture me like this?" Luna cried out.

Cheetor's body melded itself onto Luna, his mechanical form breaking apart, as a small bright orb exited Cheetor's body and converged onto Luna's arm. As the chip begins to cool down, the burning subsiding, Luna looked to see her body now encased in the Savage Claw Armor.

"What...what happened? Cheetor, what did you?" Luna turned to the table to find Cheetor wasn't there; she looked over her body once more, confused, and puzzled.

A voice rang out in her head, but she felt no fear, it was a familiar voice, _"Oh, is that the thanks I get for coming back to say "hello"? This wasn't exactly __**easy**__ y'know!"_

Luna's eyes widened as Cheetor's voice rang out. "Well..." She smiled, trying to fight back tears of happiness to hear her friend again, "You did _**DIE**_ after all, you could've told me about this in the first place!" She let the tears out and began to sniffle, "How are you back? I...I thought I _lost_ you."

"_Well," _Cheetor's voice echoed through her head, _"I knew with Rattrap here, it would only be a matter of time before he tried to do me in...And I knew he'd probably be successful, sadly. So, I had no other choice, I removed my combiner chip and stashed it away for you to find."_

"But why _me_? Why not Optimus, or Ratchet?"

"_Because I __**trust**__ you...and, because I knew you'd be able to activate the chip, allowing me to combine with you. See, my body was essentially scrap, with a spark in it. I couldn't use my body for anything, and my spark would've died in there, but, with the combiner tech, I can place my components onto you."_

"And your spark? How is that in me?"

"_Well, you did carry Prime's spark for awhile didn't you?"_

Luna, still crying, nodded slightly, "It _**burned**_ you idiot!" She said as her words broke past the tears, "You're using me you, butthead!" Sniffling, Luna managed a small smile as she joked with her friend once more.

"_Oh it's only temporary, and hey, __**I'm**__ the one who died! You know how much it hurts? And...Well funny thing about dying for a few hours, things come into perspective. Mom and Dad say they're proud of you."_ Cheetor replied.

"I wouldn't be proud of me. I wouldn't be proud of the girl that got her friends killed just by living!" She choked on Rattrap's words from before, tears falling down her cheeks.

"_They're proud because you keep __**fighting**__, you're making friends, and Luna, c'mon, and no one is really __**truly**__ dead. They always live on in your hearts, or, in this case, your head. You didn't see the Christmas picture by the way, did you? Your mom made me wear the antlers!"_

Luna's tears subsided as she wiped her eyes, a small giggle coming from her, "Y-yeah. She was very persuasive when she was alive, and you looked good in those antlers." She smirked and laughed a bit more.

"_Your parents love you very much y'know. They always wanted you to be a part of the big robotic family, and they also endured their fair share of losses, but their love for their friends, for you, and for each other, always kept them going."_

Luna smiled fully this time, and looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah, I've been letting this get to me." She scuffed and kicked her foot against the ground, "I'm going to keep on fighting too...just like them."

"_Luna..."_ Cheetor said softly within her mind, _"Before we tell the others, I gotta make sure you're okay with this. I know you don't particularly care for the mental link."_

"Well, it's fine for now, I'm alright. Thanks for checking though, most guys don't when they invade someone's _**MIND**_!" Luna replied.

"_Okay, good, well..."_ Cheetor spoke, as Luna's mind began to get a bit foggy, _"Since we share one mind at the moment, allow me to show you how this all began."_

Luna's mind blanked out to white, slowly, black figments filled her head. Before her, was an image of something she had never seen, but always dreamed of, a supernatural looking world she wished to go to.

Cybertron


	27. Chapter 27

The view of Cybertron drew closer as Luna's astral form plummeted towards the surface of the planet, "**THIS ISN'T FUNNY CHEETOR**!" she cried out.

A comforting force lifted her up before she hit the ground, and before her, Cheetor's body materialized, just as he was before the attack. Luna's eyes watered as she rushed forward, arms open to hold her friend close, "Cheetor! You're back, I can't believe it, y-you're really-!"

Luna phased through Cheetor's body as he walked away from her, not showing any signs of acknowledging her presence, "C-Cheetor, I don't."

A voice rang out from inside her head, as the comforting force returned to surround her, _"Luna."_ Cheetor's voice called.

Luna watched as the Cheetor walking away from her turned a corner, heading towards a dark alley as he hid from unwanted eyes.

_"This is just a __**vision **__I've created for you. You're a ghost to everything and everyone around you."_

Luna tilted her head and tried to touch a nearby wall, her hand phasing right through, her eyes took initial shock, but slowly she calmed down. This was not the weirdest or worst thing to happen, "Okay, so I'm a ghost. Do I at least get a cool name or special powers?"

Silence for a brief moment as the world around them paused.

_"This isn't some cartoon! You get no powers, no theme music, and no name! Just...just watch, okay_?" Cheetor replied.

"Oh, so it's one of those Christmas ghost kinda things?"

_"Yes. This is a Christmas special- __**JUST WATCH OKAY**__?"_ Cheetor yelled out, as Luna was teleported to an odd looking scene.

Before her stood Cheetor, in what appeared to be a Cybertronian warehouse; metal crates stocked with Energon Cubes and heavy ordinance lay stacked around the room. In the center stood a younger looking Rattrap, along with three other Cybertronians, standing much taller and bulkier than Rattrap or Cheetor.

"Is, is this what happened with you and Rattrap all that time ago?" Luna asked, as she bared witness to the scene in front of her.

_"Yes. Now,"_ Cheetor replied, his voice growing softer, _"watch."_

Rattrap paced slowly as he neared Cheetor, the three bots behind him following his every step, "Hey, hey, back off guys! Cheetor here is one ah us, go take five you diode dunces." Rattrap said, as he motioned his hand to send them off.

The three green and purple bots grunted and stomped off, each step sounding like cannon fire as they left the room present with just Rattrap and Cheetor.

"So, uh, kid." Rattrap spoke, as he realigned some components on him, "That _package_ get delivered as planned?"

Cheetor stood proudly and nodded, he was Rattrap's delivery boy. He never asked what it was he was delivering, but he had purpose at the time and during these war times, it's all he needed, all he wanted.

"The package was delivered as you wished. Heh, and as usual, the Elite Guard tried to stop me." Cheetor turned away to look at some crates near him, he couldn't help by feel doubt as he questioned what he did, but this feeling was cut short by the dagger that were Rattrap's next words.

"Well ah _course_ they shot at you, Spots! You're on their most wanted list! Slag, you're on the top of Prowl's list!" Rattrap replied.

Cheetor sighed and nodded in agreement, he never forgot the day everything changed, and Prowl, the bot who had devoted his life to making Cybertron safer, turns his eyes to Cheetor, and began his hunt, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Alright then, well, you're dismissed. Go on back to your quarters until I call for ya, and kid." Rattrap paused for a moment as a news feed played into his ears, "I'm_ proud_ of ya!" An uncomforting smile went across Rattrap's face as he shut off the listening piece in his ear.

Cheetor smiled softly and exited the compound. Rattrap was nice enough to give Cheetor his own living space at the facility, a rewards for his hard work, or at least that's what Rattrap told him, but he was alright with whatever Rattrap said, he had purpose, a job, and his own place to call home again, it was his own piece of what Cybertron was once like, before the war.

In Cheetor's room was a small recharging station, a stack of racing data tracks, and a photo of him shaking hands with Blurr, the bot he once called hero. No one knew where he raced off too or if he was still alive, but Cheetor was sure that Blurr was safe.

"Wow, your room is really _**BORING**_!" Luna remarked, as she broke her silent viewing of Cheetor's past, "I mean _c'mon_, you guys couldn't get a poster or maybe a plant?"

_"__**IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF A PLANETARY CIVIL WAR**__!"_ Cheetor exclaimed, he was getting annoyed as well as tired of Luna's remarks, as he tried to explain his past to her, _"I'm _sorry_ I couldn't find a palm tree under the rubble of my home, Luna!"_ His voice faded to sadness, and Luna knew to shut up, as the rest of the scene played out.

The past vision of Cheetor looked up and around his room, growing bored, he switched on a small radio like device he had found amongst the rubble of a crumbling archive in Iacon. He hadn't told Rattrap he had found it, but he assumed it would be alright, no harm could come from this radio.

Bursting out from the radio played an emergency alert, sirens flared as the announcer, a bot named Hot Spot reported on the incident at hand. The scene revealed itself as Hot Spot spoke, a large explosion had taken out half a mile of the planet, completely destroying the survivor aid station the Elite Guard had set up, and destroying countless innocents.

Cheetor listened in horror as the coordinates for the attack were announced; those horrible numbers rang in his ears; each one dropping down on him like an anvil as he sat in horror. With the coordinates ending, Cheetor realized just what had happened. The coordinates were the same as the ones Rattrap told him, the coordinates he was suppose to deliver that package too.

Cheetor had delivered a **bomb**.

Luna tried to cover her ears as she listed to what was going on, but she knew, this was not the end of what Cheetor wanted to show her. Sitting in a complete shock, Cheetor tried to make sense of what had happened. It couldn't be, it had to be some weird coincidence, yeah, there's no way it was a bomb, I mean, Rattrap wasn't a polished bot, he wasn't exactly a model citizen, but he was no murderer, was he?

He needed answer, and in a blitz, Cheetor rushed into Rattrap's "office" area, to see him counting his credits on the table before him. Rattrap looked up halfheartedly and when he saw it was Cheetor he instantly went back to counting his credits.

"So, kid, what's got you barging in here? You have a bad dream or somethin'?" Rattrap sarcastically asked.

Cheetor glared unrelentlessly, he had to know if his suspicions were true, or if it really was all a coincidence, "Rattrap, what was in that package I delivered today?" Cheetor asked in a dominating voice, he was in no mood for any lies, especially the bot he considered a friend.

"Oh? That thing, it was just some spare parts for a...a..._friend_ ah mine. Yeah, that's it, whatever. Are we done here?" Rattrap said, not lifting his eyes away from what he was doing to even look at Cheetor.

"**ANSWER ME, DAMMIT**!" Cheetor rushed forward and flipped the table, Cybertronian credits falling to the floor as Rattrap fell as well.

Dusting himself, Rattrap pointed a menacing hooked finger at Cheetor; he had had it with the kid's sudden attitude change, "Listen here Spots, **NOBODY**, and I mean _**NOBODY**_, gets away with that around he-!"

In a flash Rattrap's words ended as Cheetor held him up by his neck, his eyes green and narrowed as he tightened his grip on Rattrap's neck. "**TELL ME THE TRUTH**!"

Rattrap's face grew calm and smiled down at the frustrated Cheetor, "Okay kid, the truth, here's the simple truth."

Rat drones flooded out from the cracks in Rattrap's body as they crawled across Cheetor, biting at his armor plating as his grip on Rattrap broke, letting the old bot land on his feet. Cheetor stumbled around, ripping the drones away and crushing them in his hands, as Rattrap grew ever closer.

"You want the truth, here it is kid: you've been delivering _bombs_ all over Cybertron for me."

Cheetor flung off the last Rat drone and stared at Rattrap in anger and newfound hatred, "**YOU TOLD ME WERE PROTECTING CYBERTRON**!"

"Oh, we are protectin' Cybertron, kid." Rattrap said with a small smile, "Problem is some bots don't wanna pay my protection charges. You know what I mean?"

Cheetor's eyes widened as he rushed forward, a tightly formed fist aimed for Rattrap's smug smile. A giant hand fell down and blocked Cheetor's path, unaware of their presence, Rattrap's three bodyguards stepped in. The first one swatted Cheetor away, as they surrounded Rattrap.

"Kid, give it up. We got you out powered, and out classed. I'm gonna give you just one more chance to turn tail, and go back to being our oblivious little errand boy." Rattrap cockily said.

Cheetor would have none of this though, and glared angrily, "How about I just inform the _Elite Guard_ of your location? Think you can handle the entire Elite Guard on your back?"

Rattrap laughed and shook his head, "Kid, you give stupid a whole new meaning!"

With a snap of Rattrap's fingers, his body guard's forms began to shift and alter, each one taking on the form of a set of legs, a body torso, and two arms. The three combined to form a towering colossus, five times the size of Cheetor.

"**TIDAL **_**WAAAAAAVE**_!" The newly formed behemoth roared, as a giant hand came down to crush Cheetor. Cheetor, utilizing his amazing speed dodged Tidal Wave's attack as the giant fist of the bot crashed into the side of the compound, "**DESTROY, CHEETOR**!"

The gaping hole in the wall began to widen, as the entire building began to come down upon itself. Cheetor and Rattrap glared at each other intensely as Tidal Wave stood, holding up the building, "**MASTER, ESCAPE**!"

"Good idea!" Rattrap spoke with a sick smile, leaving his bodyguard to be buried in the rubble of the soon to collapse building. Rattrap rushed out of the building in a quick dash of unseen speed, Cheetor chasing right behind him.

"**GET BACK HERE YOU PIECE OF SLAG**!" Cheetor called as he rushed forward.

A giant hand slammed down in front of the door, "**TIDAL WAVE DIE, YOU DIE TOO**!"

And with those words Tidal Wave released his hold on the ceiling, the entire weight of the building coming down on top of them. The thick layers of steel and metal came toppling down on Tidal Wave and Cheetor. Cheetor tried to dodge through the falling rubble, but it was to no avail. Cheetor blacked out, as he was smothered in the falling debris.

Luna watched in shock as she finally brought herself to speak, "Whoa, Cheetor I-I never knew all this."

_"Shh. It's not over yet."_ Cheetor's voice crooned within her mind, addressing her to continue watching the visions of his past.

Cheetor slowly awoke to a grisly scene. Tidal Wave lay motionless, buried in dust and debris. Crates filled with weapons and energon cubes lay broken, their contents sprawled out in pieces across the area. Cheetor tried to pull himself up, as he felt a restraint, his legs were pinned down by the rubble and couldn't move. Laying in the disgust he felt in himself for letting him fall for this, Cheetor looked up, to see a silhouette coming towards him through the dust.

"Hello? C-can anyone help me? _Please_?" Cheetor called out.

His cries for help were for nothing, as the figure drawing close was revealed.

Rattrap.

"Hey spots, you don't look so good." He snickered with a winning smile, "Hmm, too bad, you could'a just sat in your room like a good boy, but_ no_, you had to go _**snoopin**_'!"

"Go to the pit you... piece of _slag_!" Cheetor replied, trying to claw at Rattrap's face, "You destroyed an entire _survivor_ camp! And for _what_? A handful of _credits_?"

Rattrap chuckled and turned from Cheetor, "Look at where doing the right thing has gotten us kid. You, Mr. Goody Goody, are trapped under a pile of rubble, just waiting for your spark to give out, and me, well, I'm a free bot. Who wins this round?"

Rattrap walked on, leaving Cheetor to die, never looking back, and never saying another word.

Cheetor ended the visions, as he and Luna, still merged into Savage Claw Mode, returned to the medical lab they stood in when he first showed her the visions.

"H-How did you get out of there?" Luna asked, still shaking from what she had just seen.

Cheetor spoke through her mind once more, _"I had to sever my own legs to get out. I lost a lot of Energon, but I was able to survive. I took on a smaller alt-mode to compensate, and as soon as I got free, I left Cybertron, and I ended up finding Earth on my travels."_

Luna was silent as she took this all in, "And let me guess, you landed in Africa?"

_"No, actually, I landed in San Diego; they have a really nice Zoo there."_

Luna did a double take and laughed, "Oh my god, you're from _California_?"

_"Sorta, I landed there and since I was too small of a size class to take a vehicle form, I had to go with an animal form, so, I went with the Cheetah's there. It was a good cover, plus, kids adored me."_

"You took a Cheetah form-**SO YOU COULD SHOW OFF**?" Luna exclaimed in a bit of laughter.

_"Yeah, well, it didn't last long. Jack and Miko, your folks, took you to California for some vacation thing so you could go to the zoo and stuff. I guess they sorta noticed me as a Cybertronian, probably cause I didn't eat of anything, but, they actually kept coming back to see me. We talked when no one was around, and eventually, I decided to go back with them to Jasper."_

"How did you get on the plane! **HOW, WHO, WHAT, AND WHERE**?"

_"Luna, do you_ really think _the people loading bags are going to try and make sense of a robot Cheetah coming on board?"_

Luna laughed and shook her head, "Well, whatever happened, _however_ you got here and joined the family," She took a brief pause and looked down at her feet, smiling wide,

"I'm glad you did."


	28. Chapter 28

Aboard the Nemesis, Starscream crept through the dark, cryptic halls. He had been called down to the command center by a rather unamusingly toned Megatron, and with the recent failure to loot the Autobot's armory, Starscream expected the worse from the Decepticon's master.

As the door's parted for him, recognizing his energy signature, Starscream entered the command bay. Dozens of Vehicon workers and technicians slaved away at their consoles, keeping the large ancient warship in working order, each one showing no distinct signs of individuality. As Megatron's reformatting transformed his troops into identical soldiers, just as he wanted; only the strongest were allowed to keep their unique appearances. Though Megatron believed Starscream a possible subject of his reformatting process.

"You, called for me, oh mighty Megatron?" Starscream asked with a bit of hesitance.

Standing on the commander platform stood Megatron, bearing an unhappy scowl as Knockout stood beside him, his smile holding the typical smirk, both sets of eyes glaring at Starscream.

"Yes Starscream, I did call for you, how good of you to _actually_ do something as instructed!" Megatron roared as he pointed a sharp finger to the screen behind him, showing the footage of Wheeljack entering through their ground bridge, taking out an entire sector of their ship with his grenade.

"Your mission was to retrieve the relic from the Autobot armory and return to base! _**Not**_ to allow a single lowly Autobot access into our ship, and not only succeed, but do damage beyond our repair capabilities!" Knockout watched the battle of words with amusement, not wanting to ruin such a delightful event.

"L-Lord Megatron, you don't understand! We would have succeeded, but the girl, she...she brought Prime back to- **ACK**!"

With his mention of the girl, Megatron's clawed hand grasped Starscream's neck and squeezed tight, crushing the circuits and vital nuero-nets within, "Are you saying that the _second in command_, the, "_oh so legendary air commander Starscream_" was defeated, by the acts of a _**bug**_!" Megatron's initial anger turned to rage, as he flung Starscream across the hall, his body landing atop the commander's platform.

"Ironic isn't it? You wished to be the Decepticon leader, and now, your spark shall be extinguished right where the leader commands." Megatron lifted his arm up, a large broadsword extending from his gauntlet, as he approached the pleading Starscream.

"**W-WAIT LORD MEGATRON**! **I KNOW OF ANOTHER WAY**!" Starscream yelled, as he skidded backwards, nearly falling off the platform as he tried to keep as much distance between him and Megatron as possible.

Megatron glared down and sheathed his sword back into his gauntlet, "You have prayed to the Allspark that it this plan of yours is worth more to me than your **death**!" Megatron said coldly as he nodded to Knockout who proceeded to help the damaged Starscream up.

"Optimus...was never the key to the vault lord Megatron," Starscream said as he staggered to his feet. Megatron's eyes widened as he continued to listen, "Follow me...I believe we have all that we need right _here_." Starscream walked past Megatron and towards the doors, and Megatron followed, a feeling Starscream relished in, but did not show in his expression or movements.

The three Decepticons entered into the prisoner cell, where Agent Fowler was once held before, and Wheeljack, found his way back to. Hanging from Cybertronian chains hung Wheeljack, his spark barely flickering online, as half of his body sparked and fell apart, his leg and most of his torso blown clean off in the grenade explosion.

"I enjoy watching the sparks of my enemies slowly extinguish as much as any Decepticon, but why bring us here Starscream. What use could a dying Autobot be to your master plan?" Megatron asked as he watched Wheeljack's body slowly begin to shift to grey.

Starscream lowered the chains slightly, as he looked towards Knockout and Megatron, "Optimus was never the key to the vault as you said he was Mighty Megatron, instead, I have discovered, it is actually...something much more..._simple_." Turning to Wheeljack, Starscream torn off the old Wrecker's paneling, and reached his hooked talons into him; removing a small, nearly human computer sized microchip, the Autobot symbol adorning its circuitry.

"Knockout, examine and analyze." Megatron commanded.

Knockout approached Starscream and smiled, opening his palm before Starscream, "If you'd be so kind?"

Starscream rolled his eyes and turned away in disgust as he dropped the chip into Knockout's hand. The red medical Decepticon held the chip between his fingers, optics zooming in on the buildup of the tiny piece of hardware.

"Ah! Sneaky, sneaky!" Knockout muttered as he turned to Megatron, smirking once more. "An Autobot security chip; it grants access to all restricted sections to those who have them authorized, meaning, Optimus' rag tag team of merry makers."

"So, Starscream is, correct? We merely need one of these chips to access the Autobot base?" Megatron replied.

"Yes and no, you see, the chips only work for Autobot bodies, and will self destruct if used in a foreign body, they send a signal that, well, turns the energy of our sparks against the energon within us."

"Making a living bomb." Megatron added.

"Precisely, not a very _glamorous_ end for one of us, but, with a proper puppet, we could enter the Autobot base, and use our own little Autobot pal to get into the Armory to retrieve the..."relic" for you."

Megatron took this new information into deep thought, as he turned to Starscream and glared at the Air Commander, "You get to function another day, but, if this second assault does not go successfully, it will be your spark I shall extinguish."

"Yes, Megatron, understood perfectly." Starscream replied as he moved in to take the chip back from Knockout.

Receding his hand away from Starscream, Knockout shook his head and held the chip away, "I wasn't done yet!"

Megatron turned to Knockout and glared, he was in no mood for games, let alone bad news, but Knockout wasn't like most cons, in more than one way. He took pride in his wit and ever more pride in his appearance, only the Autobot tracks could ever rival his attention to style.

"You see, why the chips can work, finding one in working condition might be..._harder _than one may think. They are easily damaged and well, look at where we got this one from." Knockout spoke as he pointed to the scrapped body of Wheeljack, who's spark slowly grew smaller and smaller.

"So...not only did you fail to bring me a simple relic from the Autobot base, _**WITH**_ the power of Optimus to wield, you also failed to bring me one scrap of _**useful**_ material!" Megatron yelled as he aimed his fusion cannon right at Starscream.

"I _merely_ brought forth information Megatron!" Starscream squealed as he inched away, trying to hide behind Wheeljack for cover. "Only_ I_ mapped out the interior of the base; only_ I _know every hall, sector, and area of their headquarters!"

Megatron shook his head and turned to Knockout, "Where can a suitable replacement be found?"

"Simple, any one of Optimus' team will have these chips inside them; you merely need to pry it from their spark chambers, dead or alive." Knockout replied, "Shouldn't be too hard for someone with nails like yours."

Megatron ignored Knockout's remark and turned to Starscream once more, "Take the chip to Shockwave, I want him analyzing it; perhaps make a _container_ to secure its functionality." Megatron ordered, as he began to turn towards the doors, wanting to begin progress on the second invasion attempt.

"I'm sorry Master, but, Shockwave is _preoccupied_ with his own work." Starscream knew what this news would do, and properly expected an enraged Megatron to lash out.

"_**HE**_-" Megatron paused, a cool demeanor across his mind and body, "Shockwave knows _well_, I'm certain his work will bring _results_ for the Decepticons."

Starscream took notice and smirked as he grew closer, sensing what Megatron tried to hide, "You're _afraid_ of Shockwave! _Aren't you_ lord Megatron? I suppose it's only right, since he nearly brought you within a nanoklik of your life once."

Megatron spun around, his hooked fist colliding with Starscream from the side as Knockout laughed at the assault, "There's a routine I never get tired of." Knockout chuckled.

"**I FEAR **_**NO ONE**_!" Megatron yelled in a commanding tone as he stood over Starscream, not aware of the doors behind him opening, as a tall figure entered the room.

"All should fear me, logic dictates it so." Shockwave objected, his single yellow eye glowing with each word, as he approached Megatron, towering even over the leader of the Decepticons.

"Ah, Shockwave," Megatron spoke as he faced the large, formidable looking bot, "What is it you are working on that removes you from my command?"

Shockwave leaned down, his eye glaring into the very eyes of Megatron, showing no fear, or no intimidation for the Decepticon Commander, "I work under your command only when I deem so, the only reason I choose to aid you in your conquest of this backwater planet instead of the revival of Cybertron; is only because you grant me access to such materials and equipment, if not for that, I would have extinguished your spark now, and put your Decepticons to a more logical path."

"Oh? And why don't you try to extinguish my spark_ now_ then, if you think of it so often?" Megatron scowled coldly, his fists clenched, waiting for the opportunity to remove one more burden from his ship.

"Simple, you are more use to me_ alive_ than dead. You will continue to bring me components to use, and I will make use of them, this is our cycle, this is logical, but should this mutual compromise be severed, I will find no logic in being under your "command", and _terminate_ you personally." Shockwave answered with no emotion in his voice, as he took the chip from Knockout's hand, having no trouble or resistance from the medic whatsoever when it came to its retrieval.

Eyeing the small chip, Shockwave placed it back into Megatron's hand, "I will work on a carrying shell for the chip, a semi-aware drone unit should do with some _slight_ modifications, but the chip's composition is too simplistic for me to even bother with, give it to your pet to study." And with that, Shockwave turned and left, with no command or instruction; leaving Megatron, Knockout, and Starscream to their work.

Within the lower levels of the ship was the engine room, using energon and converting it to fuel and thrust. Megatron entered the engine room and looked down onto the floor, searching for something or someone, smaller than a typical Vehicon would.

"_**RAF**_!" Megaton called out with a loud bellow, Raf had failed him nearly as badly as Starscream had, and he had no intention of letting failure slide under his command.

The small human stepped out from behind a conduit cable connecting the generators to the engines of the ship, "Yes Megatron?" Raf asked as he looked up at the giant monstrosity that is Megatron, "How might I be of service to you and the great Decepticon Cause?" He sarcastically replied.

"Do not try flattery; it will only get you flattened." Megatron answered, as he dropped the chip down into Raf's hands.

"A present? You're too _kind_ Megatron, and _**look**_, scorch marks too! You must've wrapped it yourself!" Raf rolled his eyes, not liking being a dog to be called upon at Megatron's whim.

"Allow me to be _clearer _with you then." Megatron offered as he raised his hooked foot over Raf and began to lower it.

"Okay, okay, point made! So, what _exactly_ do you want me to do with this?" Raf asked, examining the damaged Autobot chip.

"If I recall accurately, you used to help the Autobots with their tech back when you were an even more _insignificant bug_."

"Yes, if I recall, you shot me with Dark Energon once." Raf snipped as he recalled his near-death experience with the Dark Energon, the remnants of which spawned his dark outlook on life, bringing him to the life of darkness.

"Good times," Megatron replied, "That chip might just hold some promising results for our next assault. I want you to decode them and analyze every strand and sequence of data held inside, we must be ready for our next attack."

"Oh, and just what are _you_ going to do for this plan of yours? I already heard Shockwave wouldn't do this for you. So let me guess, _I'm_ second pick, Shockwave is doing whatever he wishes, and, just what are _you _doing?" Raf angrily asked.

"Why I'll be finding a more "_reliable_" chip." Megatron quipped.

Raf shook his head and chuckled to himself, "This is all for nothing, you can't beat the Autobots like this, they've held you off so long, they know you can't do anything to them right now."

"Who said _they_ were going to be my first target?" Megatron smiled as he exited the room, leaving a belittled Raf to work on the Autobot chip from Wheeljack's now deceased body, "Ten Earth rotations and we shall attack the humans _**directly**_."


	29. Chapter 29

Ratchet and Optimus Prime stood within the central hub of the Autobot base, consulting one another about the current dilemma with the Ground Bridge, and condition of the base, as well as the recent string of deaths.

"Optimus, with all due respect, we've lost so many defending these humans, and befriending them has only." Ratchet said, as his eyes flashed from blue to white, "I've seen _many_ hard times, we both have. But Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, the...the kids! And even you were taken from us, and now Cheetor! An _**innocent scout**_, just blown away because we were too careless to check for bugs!" Ratchet gripped his head in frustration as he exhaled heavily, his systems going out of shape over the strain of it all.

"I too have experienced these loses, and I too mourn for those who gave all they could," Optimus said, his voice in a commanding, yet comforting tone, "but their sacrifices will be in vain, if we do not press on."

"_**How**_?" Ratchet exclaimed, "Optimus you know I trust you, but right now what do we even have that the Decepticons don't? We have no bridge, no defenses, we have no army, and Megatron has a _warship_! What could possibly win this for us?"

Optimus turned to the hallways beside him, as Luna, still adorned in the Savage Claw mode armor, had slowly stepped out. Her face hidden behind a metal helmet, looking up at them.

"We still have hope my friend." Optimus answered.

Cheetor groaned his mind and spark still inhabiting Luna's body temporarily as a means of keeping him alive longer, _"I knew we should've made that left, but _nooo_, you had to go _**right**_!"_

_"Hey, you could've told me to go left y'know!"_ Luna exclaimed telepathically to Cheetor via their mental link, unaware of Optimus and Ratchet watching her with concerned expressions.

_"I read your mind kid! I knew you would've gone right even if I did suggest otherwise!"_ Cheetor remarked.

Optimus Prime knelt down and examined the share body of Luna, unaware of the mental feud taking place inside, "Luna, are you alright? Speak to us."

_"Oh crap!"_ Luna thought as she regained focus at long last, Cheetor taking a back seat inside of her head, "Sorry I ummm, wanted a drink of water?"

Ratchet laughed and looked down upon her, "Highly unlikely, since we don't even have a source of water here." Ratchet's glare intensified as he took notice of the panels from his arm opened, a flashing light going off as Ratchet expression shifted to absolute disbelief. "Optimus, I'm picking up a new energy signature, my scanners say_** three**_ Cybertronians are in the room right now." Ratchet exclaimed.

"And since Luna holds no spark of her own." Optimus answered as the two veteran Autobots leered at Luna, "So, I see that gift of Cheetor's _did_ hold some answers, didn't it?"

"More than you'd know." Luna replied, laughing to herself, "But, I'm not sure if a _mental roommate_ is exactly an answer I wanted."

Ratchet's jaw dropped as he eyed back and forth between Luna and Prime, "Would _**SOMEONE **_fill me in on what is going on here?"

Luna's eyes shifted to an emerald green shade, as her mouth plate moved, but Cheetor's voice emanated from within, "Listen doc, calm down alright? Who-broke-what-I-needed is the last game on our agenda, first up is a game of cat and mouse!"

Green shifted to blue in Luna's eyes as she regained control over her body once more, her head pounded as the strain of carrying an extra mind was quite draining. It was one thing to carry Prime's spark around, it was half the size, and was in a dormant stasis. This was an active, burning spark, carrying with it the online mind of Cheetor, "Cheetor! Stop doing that!" She yelled into the air, unaware of the scene she was making, "Sorry, it's just; I was left in the dark too. One minute I'm flipping through photos, and the next thing I know, my head is up for rent."

Optimus looked puzzled, but more concerned about what Cheetor had said before, "Luna, what did Cheetor-?" Optimus paused, even he hadn't heard of such a concept of a spark inhabiting a human mind, "What did Cheetor mean when he said, "a game of cat and mouse?"

"**AND MORE IMPORTANTLY**!" Ratchet exclaimed, "How did you not only bring a stasis locked being back to life, merge with their components, and now are sharing a mind with? That goes against every law of medical science I've ever studied!'

"Yeah, I'm a marvel aren't I?" Luna groaned as she formed a tightly bound fist, "Listen, where is Rattrap? We need to trap this rat and fast! We can't let him...get someone else."

"Are you implying that Rattrap was somehow involved in Cheetor's accident?" Optimus asked.

Luna gripped her head as her eyes shifted to green once more, Cheetor's rage overpowering her mind, "_**Involved**_?" Cheetor exclaimed, "He was responsible for it! He's a dirty rat and I know what he's up too now! We need to stop him this instant, before-"

Regaining control Luna groaned as her hands rubbed against her eyes, the shifts beginning to bring mild discomfort, "-Before he targets someone else. I saw it with my own eyes Optimus. He-his rat _things_-, they made me watch it happen." Tears began to roll down Luna's cheek as Ratchet and Optimus glanced at each other, the tension of their previous conversation coming back into the fold.

"I'll check his quarters. Ratchet, check all locations of military defense stations and search for any of his drones. We can trace them back to the source if we must." Optimus commanded, his trust broken, as he lowered his eyes away from the views of his peers.

He had hoped the new visitor would be like Wheeljack, and bring hope to his team. Instead, Rattrap brought only destruction and greed.

"That won't work!" Cheetor exclaimed, once more taking control.

Luna yelled out and groaned, "_**SHUT UP**_! If you have something to say to them, tell me via the link and I'll pass it on! Stop playing around with my head already, _sheesh_!" A brief pause brought uncomfortable silence, as Luna took in all Cheetor had to say, her eyes widening as she looked up at Optimus,

"Where are the others? Tell me now, **where are they**?"

"Arcee is currently out on patrol." Optimus responded softly, "Bulkhead is guarding our ship bay. The Starhopper and Rattrap's ship are our only means of escape should a Decepticon attack be launched. And Bumblebee is-" Optimus' optics widened as his communicator switched on in a split second.

"Bumblebee, Optimus here. Report Bumblebee, _**report**_!"

Bumblebee lay motionless on the ground next to Rattrap's feet, the old rusted bot poking the helmet of the Autobot scout with his walking stand, "You're lucky I've got a tight schedule, or you'd be nothin' but a pile of yellow bricks by now."

Rattrap stepped forward, his eyes glaring at his prize. He raised up a communicator to his mouth as he drew closer and closer to the unseen object.

"Eh, this is Rattrap to Air Chicken, come in _Air Chicken_." Rattrap muttered.

"I told you not to call me that-!" A voice rang out from the Autobot hanger, specifically inside of Rattrap's ship, "Besides, Air is fine, it's the flying that I can't get used too, it's so, _high_!"

"Will you _shut it_ already with the flying thing? You fly my ship for me, help me keep my cover, and I make sure you stay safe and sound, _remember_? Now keep your part of the deal and be ready to cruise outta here once I got what I can, understood?" Rattrap barked out at his communicator, more of a dictator-ish command then a request.

"Understood sir, this is Big-S, signing out!" The voice said, as the communicator went quiet.

"Useless kiss-aft." Rattrap muttered, as a small device in his head glowed brightly as he neared what the Autobots had tried to secure more than anything else, "Big mistake Big Bot; never let a rat, into your cupboard." Rattrap quipped as he chuckled hysterically.

Before him, the doors to the Autobot arsenal and the personal archives of Optimus Prime opened up for him, all the weapons and treasures, just waiting for the picking.


	30. Chapter 30

Optimus Prime rushed out, streaming down the spiral stairway to the arsenal as Ratchet and Luna tailed behind him, Luna being held securely in Ratchet's hands.

"_Uuuuuuugh_, of all the days to forget my jetpack!" Luna whined as her tiny body shook and grew nauseous as Ratchet followed quickly after Optimus.

"Keep all fluids inside your chasis Luna, we're going to need you and the others when we get down there!" Ratchet responded.

Before heading down, Optimus had commanded Arcee and Bulkhead to return from their assignments. However, it would be some time before the still damaged GroundBridge could open to retrieve Arcee, and Bulkhead was stationed halfway across the base. So for the moment, they were alone on this mission.

Luna gripped Ratchet's finger tightly as their speed only grew from the urgency, "Okay, I know bad guys in the armory is bad, but honestly guys, what is in there that is so special? Can't the Con's get a gun on some oh I don't know _**EBAY**_ planet or something?"

Optimus did not turn to her as she spoke, his mind focused on reaching the Autobot armory above all else, "Luna, within the sanctum of our armory, hundreds of relics are stored. If we are to rebuild Cybertron, our home, we must _preserve _our history, our legacy, above all else."

At that time Cheetor chimed in, silently sharing his thoughts telepathically with Luna, "That, and it houses our data archives. Not to mention, _well_, some tech that we don't like mentioning, if that tells you anything."

Luna remained silent, as Optimus and Ratchet finally reached their destination, the gateway into the armory. Almost immediately, Ratchet set Luna down onto the floor, and rushed over to a knocked out Bumblebee, laying on the ground, but five meters away from the staircase.

"His spark is active, he's just going to need a rest, and he'll be fine." Ratchet responded, as he leaned Bumblebee safely against the wall, "He should be fine here, but Rattrap must have know we were coming."

Optimus nodded as Luna looked over at Bumblebee, the yellow scout was merely knocked out, no damage on him at all, Luna realized what the stakes were now. Rattrap didn't kill Bumblebee because he didn't want to waste the time to do so. Luna's heart sank as her mind contemplated every horrible thing Rattrap could be doing, with a room full of weapons, and tech.

At that moment, Optimus' communicator rang out as he brought it to his mouth to listen, "Bulkhead, report, are you able to regroup with the rest of us?"

A bit of static erupted from the communicator as Luna covered her ears to block out the painful noise, "Wish I could I say I am, but things are getting weird Boss Bot, the doors to the hanger are sealed shut, my codes aren't working, and-"

Ratchet gripped his forehead and interrupted Bulkhead before he could finish, "Just _stay put_ then! If Rattrap is going to get off base, he'll need our Ground Bridge, or he'll need to use his ship, just, just stay there and guard it."

"That's just the thing, Doc." Bulkhead rebutted as his tone turned from loud and exclaiming to quiet and confused, "His ship isn't here, not a trace of it."

Inside the Armory, Rattrap stands, dwarfed by the rows upon rows of carefully placed, and secured weapons and gizmos, instead of a feeling of humility or awe by the massive amounts of weapons, he feels greed, and a lust for his own self gain.

"Ah, lookie here, so many _**luxurious**_ prizes to choose, and me without a place to put it all!" Rattrap sneered as he looked around further, his eyes hoping to catch the prize he plays for, "Almost feel bad robbin' them blind. _Almost._"

"But sir, you said we'd be in and out. Just to get some data-trax, nothing more." a voice called out by the armory elevator.

"'Bout time you got here, _Air Chicken_." Rattrap rudely spoke, his words like a knife to the lone bot.

"I told you, don't call me that! It's,_ demeaning_!" The mech conplaied as he came into the light.

Rattrap's ship was but a large Cybertronian, donning the Autobot Symbol. The mech was four times the size of Rattrap and nearly three times as tall. Large wing panels and thrusters extended from his back, as he wore a cloud white paint scheme, with bits and panels of red and gold.

"Yeah, well, did you get a name bozo? No, so I'm gonna do the honor's then, and your name is Air Chicken, got it _pal_?" Rattrap quipped.

"Yes, sir..." The mech said, defeated.

"Good, now go stand guard, it won't take the '_noble_' and '_righteous_' Optimus Prime long to get down here to but a round in my head, so time is of the essence!" Rattrap casually strolled through the halls of the great archive around him, the built in defense system failing across the entire room as his drones rewrote their coding, "Ah, there you are my _pretty_!"

Rattrap sprinted up to a large containment field, within it, hovered the object Rattrap had sought after for countless ages.

A Cybertronian Data Cylinder.

* * *

><p>Outside the doors, Optimus stood by what remnants of his team there were, Ratchet, frustrated and more then temperamental; Bumblebee, knocked unconscious by Rattrap's surprise attack; and Luna, mentally unstable and sharing a mind with Cheetor at the moment.<p>

"Autobots, reinforcements will be on the way, but until then, we must hold our ground, and fight back against whatever it is Rattrap has waiting for us. We _**must**_ defend our home." Optimus' faceplate closed over his mouth, as he turned to the control panel of the Vault doors, a small square chip within him lighting up, as the doors slowly opened.

"Autobots! To Arms!" Optimus shouted as he rushed forward, knowing what the stakes were, should he fail to protect all things around him, from Rattrap's clutches.

Luna froze up as she ran alongside Optimus and Ratchet, falling to her knees as her head pounded repeatedly again and again.

_"__**No no no no**__!"_ She screamed within her mind, as Cheetor tried to engage mental conversation with her.

_"Luna!"_ Cheetor called out as his mind tried to balance with hers, _"It's me! Calm down, we have bigger problems-"_

_"__**NO**__! No… It... Bulkhead and Arcee, they aren't __**here**__! What if they ended up like...like—" _Luna cried as her body hugged itself tightly.

_"Luna! They're fine, I'm fine, and Bumblebee is fine as well! But Luna, if we don't act now, a lot of us __**won't**__ be fine! Do you understand? We __**need**__ you right now! __** I**__ need you right now! So c'mon, snap out of it!"_ Cheetor shouted back.

Luna's eyes opened to see Optimus and Ratchet watching from stories above her, "I...I... " Luna stuttered, starting to sob a bit.

"Luna, perhaps it be best if you remained upstairs, and awaited Bulkhead and Arcee's return?" Ratchet commented to Optimus.

"_**NO**_!" Luna barked back, "I mean...no, _listen_, he took something dear from me and I want to be sure he doesn't get _anything_ from this room!"

Optimus nodded as he and Ratchet turned away from her, "Ratchet, take the Southern branch; Luna, the Eastern. I will," He paused, "be attending to a private matter." Optimus commanded, as he turned to face the Northern corridor of the Armory, "Keep all senses and sensors open, Rattrap has not been very willing to fight honorably."

"Just try to keep your nose open, if Rattrap's nearby, you'll smell him." Cheetor replied through Luna.

Far off within the Armory, Rattrap and the flying Autobot stood by the Protective field around the Energon Cylinder, as Rattrap entered pass codes repeatedly.

"Sir?" the flying bot asked, "Might I have a try at it?

"No." Rattrap swiftly replied, "Your job is to fly around, and shoot things, _got it_? I'm the mastermind here, so be sure to remember that, got it?"

The flying Autobot nodded in confliction, as he walked away from the console Rattrap was working on.

"And just where are _**YOU**_ going, _Air Chicken_?" Rattrap barked.

"You said I'm built to fly and shoot…" The mech replied, "Why not do both while I buy you some more time?"

Rattrap scowled and waved his hand to signal the bot to go. He hated others acting like they knew better around him, and _oh_ did this bot know how push his buttons unintentionally.

The bots slowly each took their own path, as Ratchet entered the Southern wing of the Armory, his scalpel blades drawn, ready for combat. Optimus hurried through the Northern passage, ignoring any alternate routes, as he came up to what appeared to be an old temple within the high tech facility of the Autobot Base. On four columns supporting the structure, ancient Cybertronian symbols were engraved.

"Untouched." Optimus said softly to himself as his fears diminished slightly.

"So, what's behind the door?" A voice rung out.

Optimus turned around rapidly, both Ion blasters aimed towards the voice's source, "_Luna_? I thought you were searching for Rattrap." Optimus asked as he withdrew his weapons back into his hands.

"Well, I was afraid you might need backup." Luna replied with a truly fake smile.

Cheetor took control as Luna's eyes once again shifted to emerald green, "Big Bot, she...didn't want to go alone. She's afraid she'd get us both killed thi-"

Luna's mind overpowered Cheetor to resume control, as she looked up at Optimus, scared, "Optimus? Wh-what is it that Rattrap is after? I _know_ you know something."

Optimus sighed as he carefully placed Luna atop his shoulder, as kept walking forward, scouting for Rattrap, "You deserve a fair explanation." Optimus replied, "Originally I suspected he had his eye on the structure you just saw back there. In there, is a power only a Prime can wield."

Luna's eyes widened, "_Whoa_! Only Prime's can use the best technology and weapons? I need to be a Prime one of these days!" Luna said, a bad joke trying to abject her mood, "But, if it's not your super Prime tech, what else could compare?"

"Our worst fears," Optimus answered, as his mind flashed back to the Cybertronian rebellions and Civil War, and how the Data Cylinder were scattered across the Galaxy, "A data cylinder."

"Data? From millions of years ago?" Luna said with a small laugh, "We have you guys, I don't think some info in a pillar is going to change the world much!"

Rattrap smiled in the distance, as the computer acknowledged his access code, the barrier around the cylinder dropping, as he extended a wretched hooked claw out to grab it.

"In more ways, then you could imagine." Optimus answered, "Luna, within the Cylinder, are the data tracks on a ground breaking military project by Autobot scientists. It was dispatched of, out of the fear it's creation would bring, and the threat it posed to Autobot kind."

Luna sat on Optimus' shoulder, listening intently, hooked on his every word.

"Megatron, would reward those who have such data, very well..." Optimus turned away and lowered his eyes away from Luna.

"Optimus…" Luna spoke up, "You still haven't told me. What is _actually_ in there?"

Optimus turned to her, his eyes filled with seriousness and command, "Within the cylinder, are the building designs, for..." Optimus began to say.

Rattrap placed a cold hand against the cylinder, laughing to himself as he held it in his arms, "Oh baby I hit the _**jackpot**_!" Rattrap exclaimed as he examined the cylinder further.

Optimus spoke up, as Rattrap hooked his claws into the cylinder,

"Project: **O.M.E.G.A.**"


	31. Chapter 31

Rattrap held within his spindly hooked fingers, the Cybertronian Relic that the entire universe sought. Its power, immense, its value, indefinable; and now, it lay in the hands of a twisted spark such as his.

"P-Project **O.M.E.G.A**?" The white and red bot beside Rattrap asked, as he watched in careful awe, knowing the extent of the information within the device.

"Oh yeah, the mother lode of all loot, with these, I could buy my own solar system." Rattrap sneered as he examined the ancient words on the cylinder.

"But sir, that...that could save Cybertron! The Autobots need that cylinder, we can't just take it, we'll be dooming our own kind to an unwinnable war!" the flying bot replied.

"Our... kind?" Rattrap turned and with a cruel fling of his hand, lashed his barbed fingers across the faceplate of the flying bot, "_**OUR KIND**_? Need ah remind you what they did to me? What they would have done to you if I hadn't _saved_ you? We owe these Autobots nothing! It's just us, and kid, trust me on this, credits and riches, are much more valuable than some _**stickin'**_ friend!"

"Understood, sir."

Luna and Optimus wove through the halls of the armory, Optimus leading the way as he could sense something unsettling within the area.

_"Hey, Freckles? Are you still there?"_ Luna asked as she followed behind Optimus.

There was only silence, until a voice emanated from within her, _"Yeah, I mean, of course I am, and I'm sorta stuck here, right?"_ Cheetor quipped, his tone unusual and much more serious.

_"Cheetor, you haven't said something in awhile. That's not exactly __**normal**__,__ and, well, I kinda miss normal. What's wrong?" _

_"He's close__.__ I can sense it__.__" _Cheetor seemed to have a sense when it came with Rattrap.

Like a twitch of the eye; he knew when Rattrap was near, the worse the feeling, the worse the intent. Today was a worse day.

_"You don't understand. I'm trapped in here and I can't get my revenge. I mean, you have seen what he's done but-"_

_"Cheetor, he took __**you away**__ from me; even if only briefly. I want this just as bad as you do."_ Luna answered, as a pair of tri clawed battle gauntlets formed onto her forearms, _"Wait till he gets a load of __**this**__!"_

Optimus paused and looked upon Luna, sensing the internal conflicts she must be having sharing her mind and body with Cheetor; a Cybertronian who could easily overwhelm her with his spark, "Luna, perhaps it would be best if you were to _withdraw_, and look after Bumblebee while we deal with Rattrap?" Optimus asked if the form more like a request than an order.

"_**NO**_!" Luna replied, "He _killed _Cheetor, or at least...tried too." She fought back the tears of that horrible event, as Cheetor aided in removing the thoughts from her head, "Besides, I'm sure you would take Megatron's life if you had the chance, right?"

Optimus shook his head and looked at her, his eyes focusing in, "I once thought so, when a friend was lost. Corrupted by his dark energon, and nearly killed. I took it upon myself to extinguish his spark, and I could have."

"So, why didn't you?"

"If I had, and Megatron perished by my sword, then this world, this universe, you, I, and all sentient beings, would have fallen. It was Megatron's existence, which saved your world, and many others, from a great darkness."

In disbelief, Luna tried to grasp hold of the meaning of Optimus' words, only to have Cheetor's and her own desire for payback, try and rationalize their thirst for revenge.

Luna looked up with her masked face and blue/green eyes, "Optimus, he ...he's also after that...project...umm, hey, actually. What _**IS**_ project **O.M.E.G.A.** anyways?" She asked.

"Salvation," Optimus replied as he turned slowly to face her.

Luna listened attentively, knowing that the words of a Prime were not to be ignored, each word holding meaning, and wisdom.

"During our great war, the Autobot leader, Sentinel Magnus, commissioned a great vessel, to help defend our way of life, and also, to carry us onward, to a new home, and a new begging. This ship, forged under the name, **O.M.E.G.A.** would become an ark for all Cybertronian life, those who wished to live without war, to escape, and live in peace."

Luna tilted her head in confusion, as Optimus continued to walk towards the signal he had picked up, Luna beginning to steadily keep pace with him, "Whoa whoa whoa! So, this giant ship thing, is just a lousy, old ship? Why would he want that so badly? And besides, Megatron already has a giant ship like that; who would he even sell these things too?" Luna spouted out, her curiosity and frustration mixing into her words.

"The project was more than just a vessel. In the final stretch of the war, Sentinel Magnus grew fearful, and paranoid of those around him, in response, he altered his designs. **O.M.E.G.A.** was to be the first artificial Cybertronian life form. His function: to defend Autobot kind, and destroy all flying the flag of the Decepticons. **O.M.E.G.A.** was designed to have a robotic form with numerous amounts of built in ordinance, enough to equip a large battalion of Autotroopers with. The initial design had been completed, and stored within a single data symbol, awaiting it's preparations for construction."

Luna's eyes widened as she formed a fist and knocked on Optimus' foot, so he would notice her, "Wait, so, why is he _here_? Can't he just steal the actual omega-ship-thingy?" She asked.

A brief pause, as Optimus, recalled what had happened. He remembered it vividly, as the information of the event had circulated around when he was but a simple data clerk, "One day, one of our own brothers betrayed us out of spite, and his claims of vendetta against all who would run than fight. Sentinel Magnus, paranoid and fearful for his closest allies turning on him, did what we recall as, the loss, of the Golden Age."

"What did he do?" Luna asked as if to ask for a parent to conclude a bed time story.

"Sentinel Magnus released all of the archives collected Data Cylinders, outward, into the reaches of space; each one containing the secrets, and wisdoms, of our culture in the hopes that the **O.M.E.G.A.** Cylinder would be unfound amongst the hundreds of others. We lost much that day, but we will not lose this day." Optimus turned to the hallway corridor, racks of weapons to the sides of him, as he looked at Luna with eyes of a leader.

Luna took it all in, realizing the stakes that were on the line, "Let's go...we can't let him get those plans to anyone who would use them for evil."

Not too far away, Rattrap dragged the cylinder across the ground clenching his hands around it greedily, as his weak body desperately tried to move it. The aerial bot reached forward to try and assist the older, weaker bot, only to be intercepted by a jagged palm slashing into the metal of his wrist.

"No one touches this but **me**!" Rattrap called out as he pulled the cylinder across the ground, "Reach for it again air chicken, and I'll tear out your _worthless_ spark!"

"Yes sir, sorry to have been so foolish." The aerial bot sighed, his eyes showing much distain for his so called, master.

Rattrap dropped the cylinder down on the ground and stretched his servos, "Listen, you wanna help? Go get your afterburners into gear and go stall those goodie goodies, alright? Last thing we want is that _Prime_ getting in our way."

"It's too late for that." Optimus said, as he and Luna emerged from behind a weapons rack, both of their eyes glaring at Rattrap, and the cylinder laying on the ground, "Surrender the cylinder Rattrap, and we shall let you leave this planet, with your spark."

Luna extended her razor claws, her eyes shifting between blue and green, as her body froze up, metal plating locking into place.

_"No Cheetor! Dammit we gotta wait!"_ Luna cried out inside her head.

_"Why? He's __**right there**__! Just let me gut the vermin, I want to see his head in the junk heap!"_ Cheetor answered back, as Luna's Savage Claw armor rattled and shook.

Rattrap watched in skepticism as Luna froze up, not speaking a word, his keen eye noticing Prime's uncertainty of the situation, "Huh, so the brat is either scared, or maybe, heh, she wants to play some _roulette_." With that, Rattrap pulled a blaster and fired at Luna, a metal spike like projectile launching from the barrel, spiraling towards the conflicted Luna.

_"Cheetor! Dammit __**look**__! Give me control and we can move!"_ Luna cried out, watching the spike near her, unable to defend herself.

_"I-I __**can't**__!"_ Cheetor shouted back, as he braced himself for what he knew would be his second demise.

Luna's eyes widened as the metal spike froze, in mid-air, hovering above the ground in front of her.

"What in the-? How are we not slagged?" Luna muttered, as she watched as the spike turned around, and shot back from where it came, knocking the gun from Rattrap's hand.

"You'd be surprised what you could find around here." A voice called out.

Optimus and Rattrap turned to see the source of the voice, standing in a corridor, stood Ratchet, within his right hand, the Polarity Gauntlet was equipped.

"Impeccable timing Ratchet." Optimus said as he shifted his arms into a pair of ion blasters, both barrels aimed at Rattrap's spark chamber.

Rattrap rushed out and grabbed hold of the paralyzed Luna, holding her in the line of fire of Optimus' blasters, "Fire and it'll be raining bits of human **all over this place**!" Rattrap threatened, as he glanced over to Ratchet, still wielding the polarity gauntlet, "Drop the fancy glove _medic_, or I'll make sure you're busy putting the_ brat_ back together again!" Rattrap sneered as he watched Ratchet slide the gauntlet off his wrist, and tossing it to the ground.

Inside Luna's head, a battle of mental power took place. On the outside, her eyes flashed back and forth between blue and green.

_"Cheetor! Damn it you aft, just give me back control, I can handle this!"_ Luna cried out.

_"Luna, no! You don't understand I need this; it's the only way I can get closure! I have to be the one to do it!"_ Cheetor replied, his mind beginning to slowly overpower Luna's.

Rattrap watched as Luna's body rattled, the Savage Claw Armor protecting her beginning to slowly crack and splinter, "Heh, they don't make 'em like they used to, huh?" Rattrap laughed as he took both Luna and the Cylinder towards the large platform behind him.

_"Cheetor! Listen to me, if we don't quit this fighting scrap, we're never going to stop Rattrap __**period**__!"_ Luna screamed.

Cheetor would have none of it, his mind was one hundred percent on revenge, and everything else was just white noise to him. Luna continued to fight for control, fearful of losing herself if Cheetor was to take complete control of her, for even a moment.

_"I...Cheetor. There has to be..!"_ Luna thought, as she suddenly reached a solution, her mind going white, as she flooded her thoughts and mind with the memories she held of her family, the Autobots, and the photo album Cheetor had given her, _"C'mon Freckles, don't let revenge leave you without all the great things you have in your life."_

Rattrap smirked as he and the aerial bot behind him, steadily dragged the cylinder closer to the elevator shaft behind them, "See Optimus? This is what happens when you care about puny humans, they're vulnerability. Take a lesson from a professional business man, you don't wanna leave anything that can be used against you, and you just got yourself six billion potential meat shields for your enemies to use!" Rattrap laughed as he shook Luna around in his hand, the aerial bot behind him reaching out and pulling his hand back hesitantly, not particularly liking the idea of a defenseless human being tormented, "See? Like this _brat_ could ever be of use to your team! What's she gonna do to one of our kind?"

Luna's eyes blinked a few times before they opened fully, one eye a light blue, and the other, emerald green, "Let's show you what we can do then!" Luna threatened; only her voice was not her own, it was a fusion of her own and Cheetor's, a deep yet graceful voice that fit their fused form perfectly.

Rattrap did a double take as his eyes widened, looking down at his hand as Luna erupted out of his fingers, snapping the digits clean off as energon leaked out from the wounds.

"_**NO**_! You...that voice...you're dead! I killed you myself!" Rattrap stuttered out as he gripped the cylinder still, his energon flowing down onto it.

Luna's eyes narrowed as she approached Rattrap, her hands extending out into a tri-clawed blade, "You failed, as an Autobot. You failed, as a friend, and you failed, as a murderer. Face it Rattrap, you're no good for anyone, or anything!" Luna spoke in her combined voice, her arm extending back, as the triple blades on her arm glimmered in the light.

Rattrap held out the cylinder in front of him, using it as a shield. Luna's eyes widened, and her arm lowered, "Coward..." She said as she glared at Rattrap with extreme distain.

Rattrap clutched the cylinder in his hands as he walked back towards the elevator shaft, the aerial bot by his side, "That's right, you shoot, and the cylinder is lost forever!" Rattrap laughed manically, his body sparking from the damage of the energon rounds taken in, "You wouldn't want to lose your _only_ chance of saving your kind, right?"

Optimus scowled behind his metal battle mask, his weapons lowering and shifting them back into hands, "Rattrap, think of your actions, countless lives will be lost if those designs are to fall into unjust hands!"

"Unjust or not, I don't care, so long as my hands are filled with gems and riches, who cares about this war? Good and bad, all I need is enough credits to get away from all my worries, maybe even start a new black market." Rattrap said, as he stepped slowly into the elevator, his cruel smile matched equally with the greedy claws dragging the cylinder along.

"Optimus, why not rush him? Surely we can overwhelm him that way, if the cylinder is damaged; at least it'll be out of his hands!" Luna cried out, her mind and Cheetor's speaking and thinking as one.

"No. As long as the cylinder remains intact, hope remains, we cannot afford to lose such knowledge." Optimus replied, as he stepped in front of Luna, trying to be sure she stood in her place.

"Air chicken, make yourself useful and activate the lift, and maybe I'll share my credits with ya. Maybe even keep you around as a servant on my own planet." Rattrap cackled, as he wickedly waved at Optimus.

"No."

"Come again?" Rattrap bitterly asked his eyes narrowing as he turned to glance at the large white Autobot next to him.

"_**NO**_!" the Aerial bot shouted, "I will no longer be your _slave_! You would betray all who have ever shown you kindness or hospitality and leave only destruction and ruin in your path!"

A fully clenched fist rose up and collided with Rattrap's jaw, breaking it off one of its hinges as Rattrap stood in a daze, trying to make sense of what was happening. The bot placed a forceful kick into Rattrap's back, forcing him and the cylinder out and away from the elevator. Rattrap reached out for the cylinder as it escaped his grasp, rolling away from him as the aerial bot rushed over and retrieved it, carrying it over towards Optimus, and placing it into his hands. Ratchet rushed over, despite his injuries, and placed a pair of stasis cuffs around Rattrap's wrists, binding him securely, sending his entire body into stasis lock.

"Optimus, I-I'm sorry, I do not deserve to wear this insignia nor do I have the right to hold the name Autobot any longer." the bot said, as he motioned to step away from Optimus.

A gentle hand extended out, and placed itself upon the bot's shoulder, "Tell me warrior, what is your name?" Optimus asked.

"I have no name sir. I was never a part of any ceremony such as they have done in the Academy." the aerial bot replied, his eye lowering, feeling dishonored.

Optimus took in his words and from his hand, a blade extended, fueled by the energon and power within the great Autobot Leader. The aerial bot nodded, and kneeled before Optimus, wanting to receive what he felt he deserved, for all he had done. Luna watched on as Ratchet and Rattrap eyed the sword intently as it rose up about their heads and with a sudden motion, the sword dropped down, and was placed lightly on the bot's shoulder.

"Rise now, and prove yourself worthy of your name. **Silverbolt**." Optimus said, as his sword sheathed itself back into his arm.

"Silverbolt..." Silverbolt said softly, wrapping his mind around the idea, "Thank you sir. I-I shall prove worthy, I swear it."

Luna stepped between the two, hands on her hips as she glared at Rattrap, "Okay, and what the heck do we do with this piece of trash? Can't I just shoot him again? _Pleeeeease_?"

"No Luna, we have..._plans_ for such traitors." Optimus replied, as he neared Rattrap with focused eyes.

Back in the main hub of the Autobot base, Luna regaled Bulkhead with the story of their recent adventure, talking of her link with Cheetor and the redemption of a bot with no name. Silverbolt stood quietly in a corner as he watched the others interact, he was happy to have a new home, one where he could finally do some good. Emerging from the medical bay, Bumblebee slowly left, with the support of Arcee, out into the central hub as well. All eyes focused on Ratchet, manning the Groundbridge controls.

"Destination set Optimus, we're ready for disposal." Ratchet announced, as the Groundbridge behind him spiraled open, leading to an unknown land.

"Hey, watch it! Just 'cause I'm old don't mean I'm not exempt from my rights!" Rattrap shouted, as Optimus lead him towards the bridge.

Luna couldn't help but roll her eyes, as Rattrap caused a scene, "C'mon Prime, just toss him in, it's not like he deserves anything less."

Optimus ignored Luna's comment and looked down upon Rattrap, who remained unintimidated by the eyes of Optimus Prime.

"For your crimes," Optimus spoke, "you are to be banished from our base, and from this day forward. You will be treated as a hostile if seen again. You have made your choices, Rattrap, and now must answer for them."

"This isn't the last you've seen of me!" Rattrap said menacingly, as with one push of Optimus' hand, he vanished into the spiraling vortex.

As the Groundbridge closed up, Luna leapt off the railing of the upper platform and ran over to Optimus, "So, hey, where exactly did you send him? Some super secret government jail cell or something?"

Ratchet interjected and showed off the coordinates input on the control panel, "We sent him into a deserted island off the coast of Africa. Its location is only known to us and our scanners and he will remain there for the rest of existence."

Luna smiled and nodded, _"See Cheetor, I __**told**__ you__...__"_

* * *

><p>On an island off the coast of Africa, Rattrap pushed through the brush and trees, reaching the coastline of the beach.<p>

"Sticking Autobots, just wait until I get back. _Ooooh_! I'll get them back!" Rattrap muttered.

The sky above Rattrap grew dark and black, as the sun vanished behind the figure of a large, hooked ship, hovering above him. From the ship, a dark figure emerged, and crashed to the ground as sand erupted around him. From a crater, stood Megatron, his blade extended from his wrist.

"Autobot, oh, but not just _any _Autobot; is that _you, Rattrap_?" Megatron asked, a cruel chuckle coming out as he neared closer to Rattrap.

"H-Hey Megs! I thought I had something to be _afraid_ about. How's my favorite client doing today? Hey, I-I know I owe you from before, but hey I got Intel I know will make up for it! The Autobot base, access codes, anything at all!" Rattrap stammered his expression fearful and worried.

"You would betray your Autobot allies so _easily_? You certainly live up to your namesake." Megatron replied as he smiled, showing off his pointed teeth.

"Me? An Autobot, no no! Those mooks were just there to get me some good loot, they're nothing to me!"

"Ah, but Autobot circuitry still courses through your body."

"Wait...**no**! Megs, I'll give you _anything_! Credits, energon, weapons, _**anything**_, just spare my life! C'mon man, we've been in business for _eras_!"

"Then, consider this my final order from you Rattrap!" Megatron called out, as his blade lashed out, severing Rattrap's body into two pieces as Rattrap's spark extinguished, black smog emanating from his mouth.

Megatron leaned down, ripping apart a few panels away, as Megatron reached in and plucked out a single Autobot chip. Megatron's eyes narrowed, examining the chip, "Looks like you were good for just one deal. With this, victory will be mine."

* * *

><p><em>"...there's nothing for us to worry about!"<em> Luna cheered.


	32. Chapter 32

It has been one day since Rattrap was expelled from the Autobot base, and the members of Team Prime have once again resumed repairs, now with the aid of Silverbolt, whose engineering skills have sped up recovery significantly. Ratchet was fixing near the medical bay, frowning as he looked at the wall with a slightly different color due to it being blown out when Luna first arrived. He gave a secret smile and patted the wall before continuing his repairs.

Everyone could hear Bulkhead all across base with his loud, booming laughter, "Heh, hey Arcee, remember when we had that Scraplet problem? They tore these pipes up like nothing!" the huge mech chuckles as he fixes an energon pipe within the inner walls, smiling wider, "Miko actually thought those things were our pets."

"Don't you mean Ra-" Arcee paused as she looks at Bumblebee and sighs, "Yeah, well, while you guys had that adventure, I was freezing my aft off in the Arctic with Optimus." She remarks as she holds up the wall for Bulkhead to wield back into place.

Bumblebee, however, continues to work; not noticing what the other two are saying. He beeps and clicks at Silverbolt as he held out a few tools in his servos, "You mean this tool? Or this tool?"

Bulkhead shakes his head and sighs with, "Yeah, heh, it's been so long though. Man I gotta admit, it's nice having Luna on the team. She's just like her folks. Hey! You think she knows guitar?" Bulkhead's face lit up as he looked at Arcee with anticipation.

"I'm not so sure right now is a good time to ask. Sharing a mind with Cheetor has kept her on edge." Arcee smirks and puts a servo on her hip, "You miss Miko a lot."

"How could I _not_? I mean..." Bulkhead let out another sigh of nostalgia and closes up the panel he was working on, "She was my partner. Heh, I still remember off-roading with her on weekends, jamming out to Smash Monkey, and me telling her to do her homework." He nods and closes his optics for a brief second, "Good times, good times."

"What was?" A smaller voice piped as the two bots looked down to see Luna smiling up at them in her armor, "Are you talking about mom?"

Arcee couldn't help but take a few seconds to process the small human beside her foot, "When did-?" She groans and rubs her optic ridge, "It's been so long since someone's sneaked up like that on me."

Bulkhead gave a small smile towards the human, "Oh, Luna, sorry, hope we didn't-umm, yeah, we were. Your mom and dad were pretty important you know." The duo go back to mending the panels of the base as Luna stepped back a bit as they reached for panels under her feet, "Saved Optimus once or twice too." Bulkhead added.

"_My parents_? One of the most _**boring**_ couple there is? No _way_!" Luna was amazed at the news, she thought back to her parents and couldn't think it would be possible that they'd ever—but her thoughts were soon interrupted as she remembers the photo album and paused, "When did you all meet my parents? Prime did say you all knew each other, but not for how long. At least _**I **_don't remember. "She smirked as she knocks on her helmet with her fist.

Arcee glanced up at the ceiling to remember, "I ran into your father when he worked at a fast food place thing you humans go to to eat. Then when I went to pick him up from school to meet Prime, Miko, your mom, tagged along."

Bulkhead nodded and let out another booming laugh, "Yeah, heheheh, your mom was _so_ excited to see us, like a kid in a cavity shop, and she was so fun too; even thought I turned into a monster truck!"

Luna was amazed at how much they knew of her parent's past, she took a second to absorb the information when another question donned on her, frowning, "Why didn't they tell me any of this? I mean... You guys were friends for _so long_! Why keep it a secret?"

Bulkhead looks at Arcee with eyes of question and uncertainty, he gulped, "Well, you see..."

Arcee tried to hide that she was a bit worried about the sensitive information, "Uhhh... Luna... We umm..."

Ratchet enters the room and glares at the two bots, "Such information was _**requested**_ to be **withheld **from Luna, and here you are gossiping about it like it wasn't important!" The medic bot shakes his head in disbelief, "Jack and Miko, would be _**very**_ disappointed in you both!"

"Wh-why can't I know?" Luna couldn't believe what she was hearing, her own parents didn't want their only child to know about the fun adventures they had as kids? Unbelievable! Luna looks up at Ratchet with wide eyes, "I'm part of the team and these are _**my parents**_! I have a right to know," She paused, "Right?"

Ratchet narrows his eyes and shakes his head, "There are _reasons _why you aren't allowed to know. Your parents did not want you to know certain things, and for one, will **honor** their wishes."

"Ratchet this is insane!" The small armored human stopped her foot and held out her fist, "What could be a good reason for me _**NOT TO**_ know! I already know about you guys and I know my parents! What's the big deal?

"The _**BIG DEAL**_ is that you don't even know your parents, and I'm not talking about what they did with our team, I mean _**at all**_, you don't know how much they tried to _protect _you! Keep you from this war! But_ no_, you just run around and try to understand what you can't even comprehend." Ratchet snapped, he was growing tired of her constant arguing and just wishes she would accept the information she was given for once.

"**BECAUSE I **_**WANT TO**_** LEARN**! I want to know about Cybertron! I want to know how I can help in the war! I want to know my own _fragging_ parents!" Tears pricked the humans' sensitive eyes, "I _**hate**_ being kept in the dark and you _know_ it!"

Arcee kneeled down and tried to motion for Luna to calm herself, "Take it easy, Luna. Cheetor, can you calm her down? Something?" The female bot tried, only to be pulled back up by Bulkhead with a face telling her to let them be

Ratchet narrowed his optics at Luna and waved his arm in anger, "Just like a child..." He turned to exit the room, pausing for a second, "You are _nothing_ like your parents, you lack the responsibility of Jack, and the drive of Miko." The large medic bot turned his head slightly to look at the small human, "How can you _learn_ when you fail to even accept the fact that your parents wanted you left in the dark."

Ratchet's words hit Luna like a brick wall. Her world began to distort itself around her as she felt small, alone. Luna stands in shock with her knees shaking. Silently she tries to wipe her eyes; however, her visor gets in the way. Mixed with emotions Luna could only think of one way to let everything out.

"**I **_**HATE **_**YOU**,** RATCHET**!"Luna screamed as she kicked the floor. The small human groaned and placed a hand on her head as she storms off to her quarters, her head pounding in agonizing pain.

Ratchet rubs his temple and sighs, he knew, everyone knew Luna would overreact whenever she heard the word "no". However, his words weren't the only ones that left a mark.

Ratchet looked up from his servo, noticing Arcee staring at him, "_Listen_, you know what they told us after...the incident," He hesitated, "it was their final request from us, and they had done so much for us. How could we break that trust?"

"They would have wantedher to know _eventually_, Ratchet. Especially now that she's in a middle of a war." Arcee sighs, "I know you respect their wishes, but maybe it's time we really come clean. Luna is a valid member of team prime just like her parents. Don't let your stubbornness rule over you."

"The_ only_ reason she is a member of this team, is because she has-"Ratchet caught himself and shook his head, "Optimus' blessings to be. She should be with her own species, away from all of...this, and I will _not_ be the one left with an unclean conscious when Luna gets overly cocky from the stories of her parents, and tries to do something **stupid** like try to be _equally_ as exceptional as them!"

"-and maybe she acts like a kid because that's how we've treated her lately." Bumblebee cut in, leaving his station with Silverbolt. The yellow mech rubs the back of his head and looks at the floor, "I mean... We _all_ kept our distance from her, besides Cheetor."

"We have to all agree too that Cheetor is not the best person to be a role model either." Arcee nodded and pointed out.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, "Oh? And _who is_? You want her to get the idea that if she runs around with a fire axe that she can be all right just because her _**mother**_ did? She needs to be _protected_, And I know just how to do that!"

Bumblebee narrowed his optics and stepped forward, "Wasn't it _protection_ that got her that arm in the first place?" He waves his hand at Ratchet in sudden anger, "I bet if we gave her a _chance_ she could prove to us how _responsible_ she can be like her dad! Miko was only her age when she swung axes and that was when she was protecting Jack and Raf _remember_? Why don't _**you**_ teach her how to act right then if you're so worried she'd turn bad!"

"_**Fine**_, if you three want to make her more headstrong than she already is, then go after her, break your promise to Jack and Miko, and tell her all about what her parents did for us! For the _world._..and see just how much good it'll do." Ratchet glares at them all, waiting for them to make a move.

Arcee shook her head at the medic, "I can't believe- actually, I can. I can believe how much you're acting like Luna. Right. _**Now**_." She looks at Bumblebee and Bulkhead, "I'm going." She speaks as she turns to leave.

Bumblebee nods and follows after Arcee. He glanced at Ratchet and frowned, sighing.

Bulkhead shakes his head and walks out along with Bumblebee, "Doc, sorry but, Miko would want this, things changed, and they wouldn't want the kid to go on without knowing."

Luna struggles to get her helmet off; grunting and crying harder in anger, _"Why didn't you help me, Cheetor? Ratchet was being such an aft!"_ She talks to him via mental link, still scratching at her helmet.

"_What do you __**want**__ me to do? I didn't know them when they were young, so they must not have told me anything, I just remember not seeing them one day."_ Cheetor frowned, _"But honestly, relax, I'm sure they just...stapled papers or something when they worked here as kids."_

"_My parents? Maybe."_ Luna grunts as she gives up on taking off her helmet and falls back on her bed. Her limbs sprawled out staring at the ceiling; she pauses before letting out a deep sigh, _"Cheetor, do you think I act like a kid?"_

"_Well, Ummm, I'm not gonna lie, but you do have __**some**__ moments."_ Cheetor winces inside, slowly he relaxes a bit, _"But you're getting better."_

Luna frowned deeply, _"I just... I need __**something**__ to prove to everyone that I'm not just 'the kid'! I need to be able to show that I am like my parents! I-in a good way of course!"_

"Luna, you ever think that's the problem? You keep on thinking about being like your parents instead of being more like yourself."

"_But it's being myself that makes me so... Well... __**Small**__."_ Luna puts her right arm up in the air and examines her hand, _"I feel like I can't contribute. And if my parents did, they had to do something right to get so far."_ A short pause, _"You know what I mean, right Freckles?"_

"_Luna, your parents might have done great things, but you have too, and you can't live denying who you are though."_ Cheetor comforted the human, soon noticing something and groans, making Luna acknowledge their visitors, "So, Ratchet send you to talk to us?"

Arcee walked through the doorway as Bulkhead and Bumblebee peeked in beside her, as she glanced back down at Luna, "No, but we've been thinking, and under these circumstances, I think Jack and Miko both would have changed their views on how we talk around their daughter. So—"

Pushing her aside, Bulkhead forced his way into the room with a smile, "It's story time!" He laughed as Bumblebee quietly entered behind him, his eyes told all, as he looked back at the memories he wished were left behind.

Luna watched with wide eyes and excitement as the three piled in and sat down around her. Bulkhead is the most eager of the three, "Oh you aren't going to _believe_ the stories I have about your mom! She played guitar, fought zombies, and had some fascination with a fire axe!"

"Bulkhead, don't overwhelm the girl!" Arcee warned as she rolled her optics and turned to Luna, "But you have to _swear_ to us that none of this will go to your head. What we're about to tell you is important, and _**NOT**_ just something to fuel your recklessness, understand?"

"Yeah, just because your parents did these things, doesn't mean you need to prove anything, alright?" Bulkhead asked.

Luna blinked and sat upright as she looked at all three of them, "Alright, I promise I won't get hot headed about this." She nodded and looked over to Cheetor mentally with a wide smile, mentally speaking, _'I'm so _**stoked**_!'_

Waving his hand Bulkhead drew attention to himself, "Oh! I have just the story for you, Arcee you know the one, when you and Jack went and-oh wait! You should tell it! Go on, tell tell! The kid is _dying_ with anticipation!"

Arcee rolled her optics once more and glared at Bulkhead, "What is the point of you thinking up a starting story when you can't even start it? Anyways, Jack and I went to Cybertron to restore Optimus' memories a long time ago. He was made an honorary Prime as well, and proved his worth to our most sacred of relics, Vector Sigma."

Heart skipping a beat, Luna tried to comprehend what she had heard, "No way, _**MY DAD**_? Jack...Jack Darby, the _accountant_! He went to your home planet? He—He was a **Prime**?" Luna squeaked the last words as it uttered from her mouth.

Arcee shook her head and smiled, "Yeah he was technically, and he wore this silly space suit and everything."

Bumblebee began to beep and hum to add to the story, stopping suddenly to look over at Bulkhead, with eyes wondering about whether she could understand him.

"Sorry Bee, she's not like..." Bulkhead paused and looked away, regretting his words, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Luna shook her head and tapped her head gently, "Actually I can, having Cheetor in my head acts like some freaky translator, it's _pretty_ cool."

Bumblebee smiled and continued his addition to the story, using his hands to emphasize portions of what happened.

"Yeah, and the time Jack used Bee here to win a street race." Arcee added with a soft smile.

Luna's jaw dropped as she took in all of the stories, her head filled with excitement and wonder on what else her parents did, "No way, I can't believe my dad did that! Maybe I can street race like he did." She smirked.

"Hey! We said _no_ getting ideas from all of this!" Bulkhead laughed as he remembered another story, "Oh, and there was this one time that Miko stood up to two of Megatron's most intimidating soldiers just to protect me. Then she helped the others break into a Museum to steal an ancient artifact that was actually a Cybertronian Energon Harvester!"

Luna gasped and looked down slightly with a small pout, "I'm not sure if any of my stories can amount. They did so much."

Arcee stood up and looked over at Luna, "Listen, what your parents did is one thing, but you have done some pretty cool things too y'know. I bet they'd be proud."

"Yeah! Like you were able to fight Vehicons, and even out-fly Starscream! Not to mention saving _Prime_!" Bumblebee spoke up, translated from his beeps.

Bulkhead pointed a finger at Luna, "And you could do that Savage Claw mode thing, and can make a blaster from your arm, Miko would be _so_ jealous. So don't sell yourself short kiddo."

Luna smiled and nodded as she put her hands on his finger to help herself up, "Right, and did I ever tell you my mom taught me how to play piano when I was little?"

"Piano? _Miko_?" Arcee said trying to contain her laughter, "So...what kind of songs?"

Bulkhead nearly cracked up, "No way, Miko? She traded her guitar for a _piano_? She must've really settled down when she settled down"

"Wait, mom actually played guitar? I thought you made that up! Oh! What kind? Was it an electric guitar? Did it have flames on it?"

Bulkhead shook his head and chuckled, "Like mother like daughter, huh? She could play like a pro, loved heavy metal, especially the Smash Monkeys. Actually, I think I have one of her old guitars here too, though she did start playing more romantic songs when her and Jack started dating."

"_Eww_ that is so _gross_! I can't believe she actually did that!" Luna spoke with a bit of laughter, "Think you can help me learn how to play Bulkhead?"

Bulkhead cracked his knuckles and chuckles, "It would be a pleasure, but you're going to have to do all the playing, I already broke about ten of Miko's old guitars from before."

"Alright! I'm going to rock out on guitar, and race cars, and maybe I can go to Cybertron one day too? Oh man I can do so much!" Luna tried her hardest as she contained her excitement.

Bulkhead laughed and stood up, "Well now, so much for not letting it get to your head. We'll tell you more later, but right now we've got some work to do, and I'm pretty sure that you've still got more big things ahead of ya."

Luna looked down at her feet and smiled, "Okay Bulkhead, and hey, guys? Thanks and sorry for getting too excited. I promise I won't get too rash and bold...much."

"You better not!" Arcee warned with a smile as she crossed her arms.

Bumblebee flexed his fist into the air and let out a loud hum, "I can't _wait_ to break out the game station again! And we can go driving too!"

Luna snickered and waved her hand, "Okay, okay Bee, we can do all of that, it'd be fun."

"C'mon bots, once we got our anti-Con systems back up so we can tell her more stories." Bulkhead spoke as he leaned in to whisper to Luna, "And I'll bust out your mom's old guitar and speakers." winks and watched the others exit the room, waving to Luna as he exits.

Luna continued to smile as they left, waiting for the door to close before letting out her excitement, "_**WOO HOO**_! Cheetor! Can you _believe_ it? My parents were so cool at my age! Aww man this is awesome!"

Cheetor laughed inside her head, _"Yeah yeah, Luna I heard, _geesh_, turn down the volume!"_

Luna laughed and fell down on her back; bouncing on her bed a few times before she settles, "I hope I can make them prouder, Freckles."

Optimus stops in the hall and listens in on Luna's enthusiasm with interest. Being very careful to stay out of sight. Seeing her excitement brought a small smile to his face. He feels proud to see her begin to go back to her old self after all that has happened recently.

Cheetor smiled inside and nods, _"I'm sure you will, and I'm very sure you're already making them proud. Trust me on that Luna."_

Luna smiled and hugged her pillow, "Did you see how happy everyone was when we talked about mom and dad? I've never seen them so alive! Man, Freckles, I wish I could hug you instead of this pillow. Your fur was softer."

_"Hey! Don't remind me about my old body, I miss it!"_ Cheetor groaned, _"Either way I'm glad to hear you're feeling good about your folks, plus, even I learned something's, like, Jack was on Cybertron? Oh I wish I knew, I'd have so many questions."_

Luna laid on her stomach and smiled, "Me too, I've never seen Cybertron than what you showed me. I wonder what it was really like, before the war."

* * *

><p>Optimus prime stood silently in a dark room, secluded from the other Autobot's knowledge, as he watched a large screen on the console in front of him.<p>

"It is good to hear from you once again, I trust preparations are going as planned?"

A voice came over the speakers as static interfered with the image on the other side, but the voice remained familiar.

"Y'know, you made some pretty_ tall_ orders there Prime. This isn't like you." Agent Fowler said, as he flipped through a few folders in his hands.

"We are in an interesting situation, and what I ask will benefit our alliance even further."

"Alright, alright, well… you have saved my backside more than once before, so consider it done. I have some agents in waiting, and you just need to deliver the final piece of this puzzle."

"Thank you Agent Fowler." Optimus smiled and nodded as he reached over closer to the console, " We will begin the operation in the morning."

"Sounds good, and Prime, I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I Agent Fowler, So do I."


	33. Chapter 33

Luna walked out into the base from her room, with Cheetor still inside her head, as the duo reminisced on all the stories they had heard. Not believing her ears, Luna constantly had to remind herself of all the great things her parents did, but despite that, in the back of her head she felt sadder for knowing. Before, Luna thought she lost two parents who weren't that special or exciting, and now, having known what she had, she missed it even more.

"Luna, please report to the medical bay, you're needed _urgently_! That is all." Ratchet broadcasted throughout the base, waking Luna up from her day dreams as she quickly sprinted to find Ratchet preparing a small device on his work station.

"Ah, Luna, it's about time you got here. Surgical devices don't just have _all day_to stay at maximum power!" Ratchet spoke with an annoyed look.

"Hey I got here didn't I?" Luna snapped back, "And you still haven't told me what I'm here for. My arm isn't getting old is it?"

Ratchet rolled his eyes at the notion, "Cybertronian parts don't simply "_go old_". It takes _millions _of your Earth years for them to even begin to age. Now, for why I really called you in here." Ratchet handed Luna a small folder which he bent with his metal fingers.

Luna opened the folder to reveal numerous pictures of what appeared to be her head, each one showing a red section getting larger, and larger, "What's this suppose to be? My head is getting redder?"

"No, your head is becoming **contaminated**." Ratchet continued work on the small device, "I've been monitoring your radiation levels since Cheetor first inhabited your body, and after weeks of him living inside of your mind, I have concern that he is actually hurting you the longer he remains in side."

"Wait, _hurting me_? How? I've felt… fine these past few days. Nothing could be wrong with me." Luna said defensively as Cheetor remained silent, trying to focus on Ratchet's diagnosis.

"_**Listen**_! Cheetor's spark energies are slowly going to destroy your nervous systems, they haven't _yet_, but the process is slowly taking place. I'd like to try and extract Cheetor from you before that happens." Ratchet warned, "The device I built is a makeshift spark chamber. It'll hold Cheetor's spark at a stable level, and will allow him to still communicate with us."

Luna thought deeply about the situation, and looked into her mind for Cheetor's opinion.

_"Hey, if I'm going to mess with your head that badly, I don't mind moving out. I already got enough dirt on you for the rest of your life."_ Cheetor gave his consent.

Luna gave Ratchet the thumbs up, as he switched on the device, placing it next to Luna's arm.

"_Juuust_ relax, this might sting a little." Ratchet cautioned as the device went to work, drawing out Cheetor's spark with magnetic manipulators, pulling his spark from her body and placing it within a modified container.

Once the process was complete, Luna's armor instantly shifted back to its normal color scheme. Luna blinked a few times before testing out if she could turn the armor off. With great success, she was finally able to breathe air without a heavy set of metal blocking her way.

Luna tapped her head, "Hello? You in there, Cheetor?" She asked. With a smile she sprung up and laughed, "**WOAH**! It worked like a charm, Ratchet! Wait, where's Cheetor now? I _gotta_see him!"

Ratchet laughed and placed the device in front of Luna, who held back a shocked expression, and a bit of laughter as well.

"He's-" Luna began to say, covering her mouth.

"Yes, he is in fact a-" Ratchet was cut off by the shouting emanating from,

A walky talky.

From the speaker attached to the device rang out Cheetor's voice, "**A WALKY TALKY**? **A **_**FREAKING**_** WALKY TALKY**? **WHAT KIND OF TEMPORARY BODY IS THIS YOU QUACK**?"

Ratchet looked down at the device with a serious gaze, "I never said this is a temporary body."

"Wait..." Cheetor muttered, "You mean I'm going to be..."

Ratchet nodded, "We lack the means of constructing an artificial body for you, and we don't know where a protoform lab with suitable tools would be either. It's the best we could do with what limited supplies we have available."

Luna smiled politely and picked up Cheetor and clipped him onto her belt, "Thank you Ratchet, I'll calm him down. Besides, it's getting kinda late and he might just be tired. Isn't that right, Cheetor?"

Cheetor mumbled and groaned, static cutting in between words at times.

"See?" Luna said, as she rushed out of the med bay and ran off to her room, leaving Ratchet a bit confused by their behavior.

Luna leaped onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling, "Isn't this much better, Freckles? No more fighting for our talk time."

Cheetor laughed at such a thought, especially considering Luna didn't just get demoted from Autobot, to teenage girl, and now, to walky talky, "Luna, I don't think "Freckles" will work anymore. I'm sorta a faceless phone now."

"Yeah, but your speaker has lots of little holes, and it sorta looks like freckles to me." Luna poked the small holes on the device to emphasize her statement, "Nice try dodging the nickname. Sorry pal, it's stuck to you _for life_." Luna quipped as she began to yawn.

"Yeah, well, at least your head won't become mush, and at least I can talk to you without you getting a headache." Cheetor softly quipped back.

"What are you talking about? I always get a headache whenever you opened your mouth; even when you had your old body!" Luna laughed slightly before closing her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Yeah, well let's just rest for now, I have a hunch tomorrow will be a big day." Cheetor said, as he felt a bit of joy, seeing Luna already asleep, right before he powered down as well.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Luna awoke to the sound of something she had not been accustomed to hearing. Normally, her mornings consisted of loud explosions, Bulkhead tripping into something, Cheetor's urging her to wake up or in this case, static, or the usual complaining from the medic. But this morning, silence.<p>

She quickly got out of bed and left her room, as she headed to the command bay of the Autobot base. Luna was soon greeted by the faces of the entire team, as well as a dark, human man, who stood on the lift platform next to Optimus Prime.

"Wow, umm...did I forget to lock up the armory or something?" Luna blinked a few times, wondering what this meeting was all about, "'C-cause I mean _hey_, it's not my fault those doors are _**huge**_!"

Agent Fowler rubbed his temple and looked over to Optimus, who proceeded to nod despite Fowler's appearance of second guessing their decision over the subject, "No Luna, we are not here to talk to you about that. However, Bee, you should probably go check those doors anyway." Prime said as Fowler shook his head in annoyance.

Bumblebee did as asked and waved to Luna as he left, oddly seeming more excited about the news than Fowler or Optimus did. The others continued to silently watch on; even Cheetor remained quiet, despite being clipped to her belt.

"Luna, I suggest you get out of your PJs and put on some working clothes, you and I are about to go on a field trip." Fowler said as he crossed his arms, examining the teenage girl, still uneasy about Prime's decision in her.

Luna scratched her head, still a bit ditzy from having just woken up, "What?"

"Okay, forget 'field trip'," Fowler waves his hand in the air and walks forward, placing his hands on the rail in front of him, "this is more of a _'tour of duty' _kind of thing." Fowler suggested, waiting for it to click in Luna's head.

"Wait, what are you getting at here?" Luna asked, trying to comprehend Fowler's "hints".

"Prime! Can I get an _assist_here?" Fowler grew frustrated and asked as he stepped away, letting Optimus move in to speak with Luna.

"Due to your actions in the field, and, for showing exceptional use of your skills, I have consulted with Agent Fowler, and we believe you are ready for more _dynamic_means of training." Optimus spoke, with a deep, compassionate voice.

Fowler stepped in and began speaking where Prime had left off, "For months now, Prime has been calling in favors I owed him, which he so _generously_ kept track of for me," Fowler rolled his eyes in secret, away from Optimus' view, "and after all that, we've finished preparations for what we call, Operation: Eclipse."

"Operation: _Eclipse_?" Luna questions with wide eyes, wanting answers.

"The Operation is broken into two parts," Agent Fowler went on, "The first part, is to set up a peace and trust agreement with the Pentagon, by allowing them to test out Cybertronian tech for medical purposes. Such as building prosthetics like the one you wear." The man waved his hand towards Luna's robotic arm, "Doctor Terrio and his daughter Belle, his assistant, will begin work _immediately_."

"And the second part?" Luna asked; growing skeptical of all the information she is receiving so early in the morning.

"The second part, involves me using _my _resources to get an elite squad of soldiers. Ones who are trained in the fields of: weapon specialty, hand to hand combat, and technical engineering; while using their talents for a special combat unit." Fowler gave a smile, proud of his own achievements.

"So wait, are these guys going to be _training _me? I mean, this is my part right? Training to be the best fighter I can be?" Luna said with an excited look, her eyes wide with anticipation.

Fowler and Optimus took a quick glance at each other, and looked back to Luna.

"They won't be training _you_, Luna. You'll be training _them_." Fowler stated.

Optimus steps forward, "Agent Fowler wishes to have you lead a squadron of soldiers into a town where Intel believes a Decepticon is hiding, and bring him in for questioning, so we might learn of other hiders, or, Megatron's next plan of action."

"L-lead?" Luna gulped and became more aware, "I never thought I'd be very qualified for that, since I'm still a bit of a rookie here with the Autobots." She frowned and glares at the air in front of her, going into deep thought of this situation. She soon comes to a question that started to plague her mind, "How many will I be leading?" Luna looks up at Agent Fowler, careful to hide how scared she is, thinking on how she might not do so well.

"A small squad at first, two rookies and a veteran," Fowler assured her, seeing the potential the girl finally has, "but if you do well, there's always room for promotion of rank. And no offence, but I didn't think you'd be qualified either, but Prime here has been _pretty __**damn**_ convincing."

"None taken." Luna looks up at Prime, "I'll need to discuss a few things with Prime and erm _eat_ some breakfast before I make a final decision if you don't mind, Agent Fowler."

Fowler gave a curt nod, "Well, you have two hours to decide, I have to deploy these soldiers soon, or we might lose the Con in hiding. I trust you'll make the right choice." He waves, going to the door behind him leading to the outside world.

Luna nods and waves him off, looking back at Optimus, "Prime. Do you really think I'd be qualified for this?"

Prime looked as the others began to disperse into their stations, giving Luna thumbs ups and smiles of congratulations as they walk off. Optimus looked back down at the small human and kneeled before her, "I have seen your courage, Luna and your capacity to achieve greatness." He began, "I do not hold a single doubt that you will be able to achieve in this new task, and it is with my judgment that Fowler took interest in you and, for good reason as well."

Cheetor gained a serious, yet encouraging tone, "If this is what you want to do, then don't let me hold you back, alright Luna?" He interjected.

Luna gave a soft smile, "Thanks you two." Luna paused and gave along sigh, "Well I still need some food, and a shower. I'll give you until I finish my cereal for my official answer."

Optimus Prime nodded in understanding, standing upright and watches the teenage girl head towards her own mini kitchen. Luna slouches over and drags her way. She soon finishes in fifteen minutes and heads towards her room, opening the large door and tosses Cheetor lightly onto her bed.

"So, our first mission huh?" Cheetor spoke on the bed, "Oh wait, an incoming call!" he alerted, vibrating on the sheets, "Hmm, must be a wrong number." He paused and groans in disgust, "This is _**sad**_! New form and my attacks consist of vibration and witty banter. Watch out evildoers!"

"Oh they're very scared of you." Luna teases, holding back her laughter, "You're kind of cute in this form, and maybe I should stuff you into a stuffed cheetah." Luna smirks, holding up a stuffed animal from her bed, "Then I might actually _want to_ hug you."

Cheetor sneered, "Yeah keep dreaming! Just wait until I get back in a real body, then you won't be making jokes."

"Yeah, _sure_." Luna shook her head and walked over to her dresser, taking out a fresh set of clothes, "Hey, mind calling Fowler and tell him I'll be ready in half an hour? I need to still take that shower. I'd _really _appreciate it."

Cheetor groaned, "Autobot Warrior assassin, now turned into personal secretary, what else can go wrong?"

"Thanks, Freckles. I appreciate it." Luna pats the device holding Cheetor's spark gently and smiles, heading out to take a shower.

Cheetor waited a few minutes to make sure he was able to do such a task. He dials Fowler's number and connects after the first ring, "Fowler, this is umm, _'oh spotted one'_..."

"This _**IS**_ a secure channel. You can talk normally pussycat." Fowler raised an eyebrow on the other side of the line.

"_Phew_! Anyway, Cheetor here, Luna accepts the invite to your party. She'll be ready within 30 minutes and meet you at the coordinates provided."

Fowler gave a wide smile; he looked over to the younger man sitting next to him. The younger of the two smiled softly and nodded, giving Fowler a nudge on the side to continue the call. "_Excellent_, she'll be quite helpful. Here are the coordinates needed." Fowler gave out the set of numbers for the Groundbridge and quickly hung up.

Luna comes back into her room with wet hair and new clothes. She sighs, brushing her tangled hair after throwing her pajamas into a hamper beside Furball's play house, "My first mission. Oh Primus I'm nervous." She clips her hair up in her usual, spiked style, "I hope I make a good leader. Do you think I'll be a good leader, Freckles? I mean, I've never done this before! I can barely get you to do anything I say!"

"Hey, _hey_! You'll do fine; you've held your own so far, so I see no reason why you can't do this either. Plus you'll have me there to support you and help." Cheetor calmed Luna as he lay still on the bed.

Luna looks down at him and smiles, "You're really nice now without the huge head to get in the way." The teenage girl reached out and picks him up, "Portable too!" She giggles.

"I'm always nice; I just get distracted by good looking things." There was a short pause from the duo, Cheetor soon caught on on what he uttered and tried to cover it up, "**N-NOT THAT YOU DISTRACT ME**! It's just umm, oh forget it!" Cheetor flustered, glad he was without the ability to blush at this very moment.

"Wow, aren't you direct?" Luna rolls her eyes and clips him on her belt loop, "Well, I hope people don't find you too weird when I have to order them around." Luna takes a deep breath, walking into the main hub, "So wait, did Fowler want to meet me here or what?"

Cheetor cleared his "throat", "It's too _risky_ for him to fly directly here. He might be followed and our base needs to remain secret, we're going to be ground bridged to the location he provided."

Luna raised an eyebrow to Cheetor's official speech and shrugs, walking over to the Groundbridge controls, "Well alright then, are you going to give me the numbers to punch in?"

"Coordinates: 3405-2974-1298 and you should be good to go. And be sure someone remembers to shut that thing off behind us." Cheetor reminded Luna, feeling a bit important.

Luna ponders on whom to manage the bridge and quickly runs over to sick bay. She huffed and looked at Ratchet from the door, "I need you to Groundbridge me over to Fowler, please."

Ratchet looked up from the pile of tools and scraps and gave Luna a look of utter distaste, "Fine, fine." He rolls his eyes; thinking, _'I'm just the door man around here, aren't I?'_

"Couldn't do it without'cha, Ratchet!" Luna smiles and goes back to the main room, soon getting her nerves back again.

"You ready to do this kiddo?" Cheetor let out a soft set of chuckles.

Luna rolls her eyes, "Oh yeah. Well… I _think_ I am." She paused, "Oh Primus, I'm so nervous! I-it's like the first day of high school for me! It's _freaky_!"

Cheetor mentally blinked and was taken aback by her words, "Never went to high school?"

Luna shook her head, "No, I was only in eighth grade when I met you all, remember? I'm educated here."

Cheetor laughs, "Well, if this is anything like the academy…" He sensed her nerves and looks up at the red haired girl, "I'm sure you'll do just fine. Now, let's show those military kids how Autobots _roll_!"

The small human looks down at him, pouting, "Don't _embarrass me_, Freckles!"

"No time to be embarrassed or sad when you're hunting cons, Luna! You only follow your instincts, find the ferocity inside, feel your determination and go for it."

Luna sighs hard and nods, "Right, right. Thanks again." She smiles and looks over at Ratchet, "The coordinates are 3405-2974-1298."

Ratchet types in the controls, the portal opening as he waves, "Off you go then. Have fun on your 'play date'."

_"_Oh, we will, its nap time for the Decepticons!" Cheetor whooped.

"Tell everyone I said bye!" Luna runs into the portal and looks around on the other side, "Well, this is not what I expected." She shifts her weight as the portal closes behind her. Luna and Cheetor took a moment to look around the room and frowned.

"A Pie shop? Fowler, you really are the_ king_ of wack jobs!" Cheetor muttered as Luna walked outside.

"This better be a disguise or I swear—" Luna rubs her forehead, groaning in disgust.

Immediately afterwards a military humvee drives up, rolling its window down in front of them. Luna's eyes widened and gasps softly looking at the person behind the passenger window. A young man smiled and lowered his sunglasses to look at Luna clearly. Agent Fowler sat behind this man; holding his hands on the steering wheel.

"Right on time, Miss Carvaline. It's nice to see ya decided to join the fight." The man patted on his metallic door as the car doors unlocked, "Hop in."


	34. Dear Lunar Fans

Hello all Lunar readers,

For those that are not following along with Lunar updates on my deviantart, I am sad to say that Lunar is on a small Hiatus while I fix a few things along the chapters. I have been receiving a few reviews on the older chapters of this fanficiton. I appreciate all the constructive criticism. I will be doing my very best to rewrite some of the plot holes in the Lunar chapters in addition to adding a few more hints which would help with later chapters. I am sorry that I have waited this long to do such a task. I hope all you all understand. For now, this is the new substitute for Chapter 1 until I am ready to post the rewritten chapters. Thank you for your time. I hope to fix all of the major problems.

Vio-Bio

P.S. Once again I apologize for all TF Fans out there that I might have upset. I am trying not to excuse myself but to let you see that writing in third person is not my preferred writing style. However, I have already written 30+ chapters so I will learn to polish my writing style so it shall be more enjoyable for you all. In addition, this story is almost a year old since we first thought of it (Yes, _we_, I write this along with my boyfriend ) so I feel extremely bad for not rewriting these chapters sooner.


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